Food and Nutrition Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This Notice announces the annual adjustments to the ``national average payments,'' the amount of money the Federal Government provides States for lunches, afterschool snacks and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the ``maximum reimbursement rates,'' the maximum per lunch rate from Federal funds that a State can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution which participates in the Special Milk Program for Children. The payments and rates are prescribed on an annual basis each July. The annual payments and rates adjustments for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The annual rate adjustment for the Special Milk Program reflects changes in the Producer Price Index for Fluid Milk Products.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice announces a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Maternal, Infant and Fetal Nutrition.

In accordance with Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. The proposed collection is a revision of a currently approved collection. The purpose of Section 6(o) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, as amended by Section 824 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, is to establish a time limit for the receipt of food stamp benefits for certain able-bodied adults who are not working. The provision authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, upon a State agency's request, to waive the provision for any group of individuals if the Secretary determines ``that the area in which the individuals reside has an unemployment rate of over 10 percent, or does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment for the individuals.'' As required in the statute, in order to receive a waiver the State agency must submit sufficient supporting information so that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can make the required determination as to the area's unemployment rate or sufficiency of available jobs. This collection of information is therefore necessary in order to obtain waivers of the food stamp time limit.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. The proposed collection is a revision of a currently approved collection. The purpose of this information collection request is the continued use of the electronic form FNS 674 entitled ``FNS User Access Request''.

This notice announces a request for public comments to help senior officials of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prepare for the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). USDA believes that public input and assessment of the performance of current programsincluding WIC, National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and Special Milk Programare essential to help the Department plan for reauthorization.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed adjustment to the information collection burden for the Food Stamp Program (FSP) Employment and Training Program, currently approved under OMB No. 0584-0339. This notice proposes to reduce the currently approved burden of 31,721 by 9,966 hours. The adjusted burden is 21,755 hours. The reduction is based on changes in annual estimates for reporting on Employment and Training activities.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections.

This Notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The guidelines are intended to direct benefits to those children most in need and are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection. The proposed collection is a revision of a currently approved collection. The purpose of the Child Nutrition Labeling Program is to aid schools and institutions participating in Child Nutrition Programs in determining the contribution a commercial product makes toward the food-based meal pattern requirements of these programs.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased commodities 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) 2008. The commodities made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the State, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.

This interim final rule amends the regulations for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) by implementing most of the nondiscretionary provisions of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 that address participant certification and general program administration in the WIC Program. It also implements the exclusions from income eligibility determinations set forth in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 and in the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, and clarifies an inconsistency related to fair hearings and notices of adverse actions that was inadvertently omitted in the publication of the Final WIC Miscellaneous Rule. Finally, this rulemaking includes technical amendments to correct the address and telephone numbers to which complaints alleging discrimination in the WIC Program should be directed, and to correct the address of the Western Regional Office of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The provisions set forth in this rulemaking are nondiscretionary, i.e., the Department has not exercised any authority to interpret the statutory provisions beyond the language that is specifically provided in the legislation. However, the Department believes that at least one of the provisions in this rulemaking may generate additional questions or comments concerning its implementation. Therefore, the rule is being issued as an interim final rule, to afford the public the opportunity to comment on the possible implications of the provisions contained herein.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of FNS to request revisions to currently approved information collections in the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Financial Report (Form FNS-683); WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Recipient Report (Form FNS-203); and WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Regulations.

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the reimbursement rates for meals served in the Summer Food Service Program for Children (SFSP). These adjustments reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index and are required by the statute governing the Program. In addition, further adjustments are made to these rates to reflect the higher costs of providing meals in the States of Alaska and Hawaii, as authorized by the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Food and Nutrition Service to request a revision of a currently approved collection. This collection is the voluntary submission of data including nutrient data from the food service industry to update and expand the Child Nutrition Database in support of the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is revising the regulations governing procedures related to the procurement of goods and services in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Special Milk Program to remedy deficiencies identified in audits and program reviews. This final rule makes changes in a school food authority's responsibilities for proper procurement procedures and contracts, limits a school food authority's use of nonprofit school food service account funds to costs resulting from proper procurements and contracts, and clarifies a State agency's responsibility to review and approve school food authority procurement procedures and contracts. This final rule also amends the Special Milk Program and School Breakfast Program regulations to make the procurement and contract requirements consistent with the National School Lunch Program regulations. These changes are intended to promote full and open competition in school food authority procurements, clarify State agency responsibilities, and ensure that only allowable contract costs are paid with nonprofit school food service account funds.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection, the WIC Local Agency Directory Report.

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. This notice announces the Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) intention to request Office of Management and Budget approval of the voluntary information collection process to be used in the National Universal Product Code (NUPC) database, an electronic national repository of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) eligible foods that have been authorized or approved by WIC State agencies. Section 203(e)(12) of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires the Secretary to establish an NUPC database for use by State agencies in carrying out the program.

This final rule incorporates into the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) regulations the provisions of the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998, which authorized afterschool care centers meeting certain criteria to be reimbursed for snacks served to at-risk children 18 years of age and younger. This rule establishes the eligibility of at-risk afterschool care centers to serve free snacks to children who participate in afterschool programs. The centers, which must be located in low-income areas, are reimbursed at the free rate for snacks. The intended effect of this rule is to support afterschool care programs through the provision of snacks that meet CACFP meal pattern requirements. The additional benefits provided by the 1998 reauthorization act and codified by this final rule were extended to institutions and children immediately after enactment. These changes were originally proposed by the Department in a rulemaking published on October 11, 2000.

This notice announces the national average value of donated foods or, where applicable, cash in lieu of donated foods, to be provided in school year 2008 (July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008) for each lunch served by schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and for each lunch and supper served by institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

This Notice announces the annual adjustments to the ``national average payments,'' the amount of money the Federal Government provides States for lunches, afterschool snacks and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the ``maximum reimbursement rates,'' the maximum per lunch rate from Federal funds that a State can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution which participates in the Special Milk Program for Children. The payments and rates are prescribed on an annual basis each July. The annual payments and rates adjustments for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The annual rate adjustment for the Special Milk Program reflects changes in the Producer Price Index for Fluid Milk Products.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice announces a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Maternal, Infant and Fetal Nutrition.

This final rule is part of the Department's effort to fulfill its responsibilities under the Faith-Based and Community Initiative pursuant to Executive Orders 13279 and 13280. Under this rule, State agencies will collect and report information related to institutions and organizations that participate in specified Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) nutrition assistance programs. This information will be a new collection for the affected programs. It will enable FNS to identify the faith-based and community organizations participating in Federal nutrition assistance programs and determine the level of participation of faith-based and community organizations in the programs. It will not adversely impact the application or participation of any organization or institution currently participating in, or seeking to participate in, FNS nutrition assistance programs.