2025 USDA Policy Memos

This memo has been revised to update guidance on fees charged when families use electronic payment services to add money to student meal accounts. This memo rescinds SP 04-2025. 

This memo updates guidance on reimbursement for school meals that are served or consumed off-site. This memo clarifies that children participating in off-site extracurricular activities during breakfast or lunch periods can bring reimbursable meals from school with them to the activity.

FFVP funding has been allocated for Fiscal Year 2026. 

This memo clarifies state-level meal pattern standards can be implemented in addition to the USDA meal pattern requirements. Washington state does not currently have additional state-level meal pattern standards.

USDA released 

SP 14-2025: Offer versus Serve Flexibilities for the NSLP and SBP to encourage schools to use Offer versus Serve (OVS). OVS gives students more control over their meal choices while boosting participation and limiting food waste. Resources on OVS include:  

• OVS at Lunch Tip Sheet
• OVS at Breakfast Tip Sheet

This memo rescinds SP 07-2022, CACFP 06-2022, SFSP 02-2022: Promoting Access to Voting through the Child Nutrition Programs.

USDA released SP 13-2025, CACFP 10-2025, SFSP 06-2025 regarding the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. There are no significant changes to program operations for SY 2025–26.

This policy memo provides guidance to state agencies and school food authorities on the paid lunch equity (PLE) requirements for school year 2025-26. This memo explains the PLE exemption provided in Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (PL 119-4) (the 2025 Appropriations Act), March 15, 2025. This memo also provides guidance for SFAs that do not qualify for the exemption. 

This policy memo reminds schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in a USDA Child Nutrition Program, including NSLP, SBP, FFVP, SMP, CACFP, SFSP and SSO, of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in Program meals. 

This memo provides guidance on the school year 2025-26 Buy American accommodation process in 7 CFR 210.21(d)(8) and 7 CFR 220.16(d)(8). The accommodation process provides the state agency the ability to approve temporary relief for school food authorities that demonstrate they cannot meet the thresholds for non-domestic food purchases established in 7 CFR 210.21(d)(5) and 7 CFR 220.16(d)(5).

This memo is a set of questions and answers on the rural non-congregate summer meals option established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. This provides clarification on rural non-congregate requirements. 

This memorandum outlines the requirement to accept medical statements from registered dietitians. It includes questions and answers to help program operators understand the new requirements.

This memorandum updates guidance to support CACFP operations following the publication of the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

This policy memo provides Child Nutrition Program operators, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), with additional information and clarification on the State Agency monitoring process regarding the:

1. Child Nutrition (CN) label,
2. Watermarked CN label, and
3. Manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement (PFS).

This memorandum clarifies policy related to fees associated with electronic (online) payments in the school meal programs.

This memorandum outlines the use of Offer Versus Serve in adult day care and at-risk afterschool settings and the use of family-style meals in the CACFP.

This memorandum provides questions and answers about requirements for fluid milk and fluid milk substitutions.

This memorandum provides updated guidance on the substitution of vegetables for fruits in the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

This memorandum updates and clarifies current guidance for fluid milk requirements in school meal programs.