Food and Nutrition Service 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the Agency's proposed information collection for the Summer Food Service Program. This collection is a revision of a currently approved information collection.

The goal of the prize competition (also described as ``the hackathon'') is to produce an open source electronic school meal application that States and school districts can adapt for their own use. FNS hopes to develop a prototype that incorporates the best ideas from the innovation community at large. The application will contain a minimum FNS-defined package of design features that target applicant error and reduce applicant burden. FNS looks to innovators in design, human behavior, and software development to build upon these goals and give life to a model application that is visually appealing, easy to use, fast and efficient, and technically sound. Prize Competition Sponsor: The prize competition is being sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302. The Contest Sponsor, and only the Contest Sponsor, makes all decisions related to the development, management, and implementation of the Contest. Prize Competition Administrator: Devpost, Inc. (``Devpost''), 433 W. 14th Street, #3F, New York, NY 10014, will be administering the prize competition. The Administrator will be the official timekeeper for the prize competition.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for the purpose of identifying best practices and informing future FNS policy decisions pertaining to State eligibility system integration.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection to conduct short quick turnaround surveys of State and local agencies providing food, education and other services in the Child Nutrition and Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs administered at the federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). These programs include the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Food Distribution Programs.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in the National School Lunch Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision of the currently approved WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices 2 Study (ITFPS-2). The revision is to amend the 36-month data collection instrument and extend the data collection on the cohort of infants by two years, to their 5th birthdays and therefore through the entire period of their WIC eligibility. The data will be used to estimate the type and prevalence of various feeding practices in the WIC population and assess whether the new WIC food packages (instituted in 2009) have influenced feeding practices. This study will also examine the circumstances and influences that shape caregivers' feeding decisions for their children, and will describe the impact of these decisions throughout early childhood.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for a study of USDA Foods in Schools Cost Dynamics.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection, which is a revision of a currently approved form. The purpose of the Food and Programs Reporting System (FPRS) is to facilitate data gathering for the reporting of data for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Nutrition Programs. FPRS consolidated certain programmatic and financial data reporting requirements in an electronic reporting system and is the primary collection point for FNS program performance statistics and financial data from State agencies (SA), Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO), and U.S. Territories participating in the nutrition assistance programs.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is interested in identifying ways to stimulate increased competition in the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) marketplace and identify procurement or systems features that are barriers to new entrants. FNS is also seeking suggestions which will improve procurement of the delivery of EBT transaction processing services through modifications to, or replacement of, the existing business model. The procurement and implementation of EBT systems by State agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) needs to be sustainable for all parties involved. The landscape of EBT is in a heightened state of change, due in part to the recent decision by one of three primary companies providing EBT transaction processing services for SNAP and WIC to no longer solicit or accept any new prepaid card business, including for SNAP and WIC EBT services. In addition, there are numerous EBT projects moving toward the October 1, 2020, statutorily-mandated deadline for WIC Program implementation. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks to obtain input from EBT stakeholders and other financial payment industry members and interested parties, regarding options and alternatives available to improve the procurement and current operational aspects of EBT. In this document, FNS has posed various questions to prompt stakeholder responses. We intend to consider and follow up on the alternatives and suggestions that appear to be most viable from both a technical and a cost/benefit standpoint. Interested stakeholders are invited to respond to any or all of the questions that follow, and to identify issues which may not be listed.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed collection. This is a revision of a currently approved collection. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 provides the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to develop a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) to address the needs of families temporarily in need of food assistance after a disaster. The information collection under this notice is required for the establishment and operation of a D-SNAP.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this Notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. This collection is a revision of currently approved burden for the applications, periodic reporting, and notices burden calculations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The revision also modifies the net estimates for PRA burden associated with proposed rule ``Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions'' published on May 4, 2011 at 76 FR 25413.

This document contains a correction to the final rule published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2015, ``Professional Standards for State and Local School Nutrition Programs Personnel as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.''

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in Special Milk Program for Children.

This rule proposes changes to the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to better align the meal patterns with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The proposed changes are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in the report Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All, and input from stakeholders, as well as cost and practical considerations for CACFP institutions and facilities. In addition, this proposal would make additional revisions to the health and wellness components of CACFP to reflect several requirements set forth in the HHFKA, including making changes to the purpose of the Program and making water available to Program participants. Several of these changes would be extended to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program to increase consistency across all Child Nutrition Programs. Implementation of this proposed rule would serve as a step towards more nutritious meals that improve the dietary habits of participants in day care. The comment period is being extended to provide additional time for interested parties to review this propose rule, to May 27, 2015.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in the School Breakfast Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (``Department'') announces adjusted income eligibility guidelines to be used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new collection for the Study on Nutrition and Wellness Quality in Childcare Settings (SNAQCS).

The purpose of this Request for Information is to help the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) better understand what sponsors and State agencies could regularly report to FNS to more adequately track participation in the summer meal programs. The current data reporting system for sponsors and State agencies was designed primarily to process meal claims and not to track program participation. FNS is interested in modifying the current reporting system to better identify the number of eligible children the programs are serving and assess the impacts of efforts to increase program participation. In order to develop proposed changes to reporting requirements, FNS is seeking information from all affected parties regarding current State agency and sponsor data reporting requirements. Specifically, FNS is interested in information about data that sites, sponsors, and State agencies currently collect but do not report to FNS, as well as the feasibility of obtaining currently reported data in a timelier manner. FNS is particularly interested in the opportunities and challenges associated with these changes.

This final rule establishes minimum professional standards for school nutrition personnel who manage and operate the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The final rule institutes hiring standards for the selection of State and local school nutrition program directors, and requires all personnel in the school nutrition programs to complete annual continuing education/training. These regulations are expected to result in consistent, national professional standards that strengthen the ability of school nutrition professionals and staff to perform their duties effectively and efficiently.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to States for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The foods made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the State, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies (ERAs) for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.