Region 6 CN Specialists will be attending MegaCon, in Austin, May 13th-16th. While you may experience a delayed response in calls and emails, please know we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see you there!

TDA has posted to SquareMeals.org an updated Section 10000, Serious Deficiency, of the CACFP Handbook. TDA consolidated content from all four current CACFP Handbooks (Child Care Center, Day Care Homes, Adult Day Care, and At-Risk). This section is now identical in all four handbooks.

Additional updates include:
-- Added new clarification about written notification procedures, specifically that Contracting Entities will be notified by email throughout the SD process if all responsible parties have email addresses within TX-UNPS. Consolidated redundant information about this topic into a new section.
-- Clarified that a sponsor’s disqualification does not necessarily exempt that sponsor’s sites from being placed in the serious deficiency process if TDA determines that the site’s egregious issues were not the result of lack of training or oversight by that sponsor.
-- Added the online link to request to be removed from the National Disqualified List.

It's important for providers and sponsors to understand all updates to the meal patterns in order to ensure they are in compliance. Most of the updates have a compliance date of July 1, 2024. However, two updates have an extended timeline for compliance of October 1, 2025, including the added sugar limits for breakfast cereals and yogurt as well as the ability for registered dieticians to write medical statements to request meal modifications on behalf of participants with disabilities.

USDA Updates to School Nutrition Standards Webpage

TIMELINE LINK

TDA has developed and released a new online form for disqualified operators wishing to be removed from the National Disqualified List and/or Texas Excluded SFSP List prior to the end of the required minimum seven years.

USDA has confirmed that there is no release date scheduled for new "And Justice for All" (AFJA) Civil Rights posters. All operators should use the 2019 version. Operators that no longer have the 2019 version can print the original 2019 version from SquareMeals or a slightly updated version from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website. Click the headline for details.

TDA has released a new form for CACFP and SFSP operators that have exceeded the allowable amount of net cash resources to be maintained in the non-profit food service account at any given time (CACFP - 3 months' average expenditure, SFSP only - 1 month average expenditures). This form should be used for internal planning should net cash resources exceed the required limit. As applicable, operators may have to submit the spending plan to TDA in response to required corrective action. This form is available on both the CACFP and Summer Meal Programs Administration/Forms pages.

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has developed no-cost materials you can use to promote the availability of summer meals for families in need. Please visit the Summer Meal Programs page to order no-cost materials today! Also available are downloadable resources such as buttons and banners that can be used on websites and emails, and bookmarks and door hangers that can be printed out and distributed.

TDA has posted to SquareMeals an updated SFSP Supplemental Handbook.

The SFSP Supplemental Handbook is located on the Summer Meal Programs Policy/Handbook page.

USDA has approved TDA's request to allow SFSP or SSO non-congregate service on days in which a Heat Advisory, Heat Warning, or Air Quality Index "purple" flag is issued. All operators must notify TDA via the Extreme Heat/Air Quality Non-Congregate Waiver Request form (updated version coming soon) and submit the form for each day that non-congregate meals were served. Click here for details.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is extending the public comment period on the interim final rule, “Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs,’’ which published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2023. This action extends the public comment period From April 29, 2024, to August 27, 2024, to give the public additional time to prepare and submit comments. Click here for details.

TDA has released new and revised SFSP Sponsor Monitoring Form prototypes, including the Pre-Operational Visit Form, the First Two Weeks Site Visit Form, and the Site Review Form (congregate and non-congregate versions). These forms were updated to include review questions for rural sites approved to operate non-congregate service in Summer 2024.
These forms can be found on the Summer Meal Programs Administration/Forms page on SquareMeals.org.

Join a webinar with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). USDA will provide an overview of the Final Rule: Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns to be Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and its impact to operators of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

May 16, 2024 @1:00 pm Central REGISTER HERE

CACFP Training on squaremeals.org has been updated. There are course options from TDA, links to ESC LIVE, and courses offered by The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN). Visit https://squaremeals.org/FandN-Resources/Training/CACFP-Training for details.