FNS Announces Flexibilities For Milk, Whole Grains, And Sodium Requirements In Child Nutrition Programs

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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