December 12, 2023 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources

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The California Department of Education (CDE) hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar on December 12, 2023, for school food service operators to provide an opportunity for schools to learn about program requirements for operating their programs and hear about best practices.

Links Shared in Chat During the Town Hall

• A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the SNP Specialist Directory web page or email SNP staff at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov​.
• Child Nutrition Consultant assignments are available in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS), Download Forms section > Form ID: Caseload > Directory of Staff County Assignments.
• Learn more about the Farm to School projects featured in the Town Hall, read the full e-news articles:
  • Nevada Co. Food Policy Council to focus on local food in schools, hospitals in Lifestyles on theunion.com.
  • Oakland schools’ central kitchen cooks up lessons along with 30,000 meals daily on bdcnetwork.com.
• Read Growing Thriving Child Nutrition Programs in Rialto, California to learn more about what’s going on in Rialto Unified School District (USD), on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Success Story web page.
• For questions or to email the change of participation for receipt of USDA Foods for School Year 2024–25 letter of intent, reach out to FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
• Read the CDE Management Bulletin SNP-09-2018 Distinguishing a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) From A Vendor on the CDE School Nutrition web page.
• If you have procurement questions, email CDE Nutrition Services Division Procurement staff at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov.
• You can also reach out to the School Food Contracts Unit with your FSMC questions by email at SFSContracts@cde.ca.gov. 
• For resources on reducing organic waste and methane emissions visit:
  • CalRecycle’s website for California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy , and
  • Resources for Local Education Agencies: K-12 Public Schools and School Districts .
• Read more about Assembly Bill (AB) 1200 Plant-based food packaging: cookware: hazardous chemicals on the California Legislation Information web page.
• To learn more about bills discussed during the Town Hall and others search the California Legislation Information web page.
• Learn more about the Child Nutrition Advisory Council (CNAC) and the upcoming recruitment process on the CDE CNAC web page.
• Read the USDA Policy Memo SP 02-2024, CACFP 02-2024, SFSP 02-2024 – Revised: Crediting Tofu and Soy Yogurt Products in the School Meal Programs, CACFP, and SFSP on the USDA website.
• Read the USDA Policy Memo TA 01-2024 – Crediting Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs on the USDA website.
• Find additional resources on the Native Farm to School Resources web page.
• Find producers and recipes from the Intertribal Agriculture Council website.
• If you have not yet received your Farm to School Census invitation, reach out to Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com and request your invitation.
• A copy of the 2023 Farm to School Census Sample Survey is available on the USDA website.
• Additional 2023 Farm to School Census Resources are available on the USDA Farm to School Census Partner Resources web page.  
• Visit the USDA Farm to School Census web page for information on the USDA Farm to School Census Preparation Worksheet .
• Information regarding the Fiscal Year 2024 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is available on the USDA website.
• To apply for the 2024 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant , visit the Grants.gov website.
• For more information on the Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Awards, visit the HMI Recognition Awards for School Food Authorities website.
• Registration for the HMI Recognition Awards took place on December 13, 2023, and the registration link is no longer active.
• If you have specific questions about HMI Recognition Awards, email questions to awards@healthymealsincentives.org.
• Learn more about the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) grants RFA process on The Lunch Box PLANTS web page.
• Learn more about the Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (SCALES) grant opportunity on the USDA SCALES web page.
• CA Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship Program applications are available on the Chef Ann Foundation Open Applications web page.
• For more information about this opportunity, visit the Chef Ann Foundation Pre-Apprenticeship web page.
• For questions regarding the CA Healthy School Food Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship Program, contact the Chef Ann Foundation at pathway@chefannfoundation.org.
• Visit the Great Kindness Challenge website for turnkey resources and more.
• To learn more on the revised Team Nutrition resources, visit the USDA Team Nutrition web page at: 
  • Offering Meats and Meat Alternates at School Breakfast
  • Offering Smoothies as Part of Reimbursable School Meals
  • Serving School Meals to Preschoolers

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.