In the November 30, 2017, Federal Register, USDA's FNS issued an interim final rule extending through school year 2018-2019 three menu-planning flexibilities currently available to many Child Nutrition Program operators, giving them near-term certainty about Program requirements and more local control to serve meals to children nationwide. These flexibilities include: providing operators the option to offer flavored, low-fat (1 percent fat) milk in the Child Nutrition Programs; extending the state agencies' option to allow individual school food authorities to include grains that are not whole grain-rich in the weekly menu offered under the National School Lunch Program ("NSLP") and School Breakfast Program ("SBP"); and retaining Sodium Target 1 in the NSLP and SBP. The comments from the public on the long-term availability of these three flexibilities will help inform the development of a final rule, which is expected to be published in fall 2018 and implemented in school year 2019-2020. Comments are due January 29, 2018, and the rule is effective July 1, 2018.
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