How to feed kids in the midst of the epidemic
WASHINGTON On August 31, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said that the United States Department of Agriculture would extend a number of flexibilities, enabling summer meal programme operators to go on providing free meals to all children well into the fall of 2020. The objective was to assist in making sure kids had access to wholesome meals while the nation struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA will make use of money that has been made available for this purpose by congressional appropriations.
“It is imperative that our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food as our country reopens and people return to work,” Mr. Perdue stated. “The USDA has offered an unparalleled degree of flexibility to assist schools in providing children with school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.” initiatives, and today we’re also prolonging the program’s flexibility for summer meals for as long as it’s feasible, both financially and legally.
“Every year, we are grateful for the outstanding work that our school foodservice personnel do, but this year we are facing a first. In order to make sure that all children, whether they are learning in a classroom or online, are fed and prepared to learn even in unfamiliar and constantly changing learning contexts, this extension of summer programme authority will engage summer programme sponsors.
Following Mr. Perdue’s declaration, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the USDA announced that it would be extending a number of nationwide waivers for the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and Summer Food Service Programme (SFSP) until the end of 2020, or until money ran out.
This will make it possible for free SFSP and SSO lunches to be provided everywhere It will allow meals to be served outside of the customarily needed mealtimes and group situations. If needed, it will disregard the meal pattern criteria. Additionally, it will enable guardians and parents to pick up meals for their kids.
According to FNS, all of these flexibility will guarantee that kids’ meal alternatives stay available so kids may eat anytime, anywhere.
According to the USDA, this move was made in response to stakeholder concerns about the sustainability of reaching the underprivileged without enlisting the cooperation of conventional summer locations spread across American communities.
The summer food programme waiver extensions, according to the FNS, are predicated on projections of current data. In the last six months, partners from all nearly 80,000 locations around the nation have been established, providing meals at a greater reimbursement rate than the regular school year programme.
Congress did not authorise sufficient cash for the entire 2020–21 school year, therefore the USDA has been regularly recalculating remaining allotted amounts to estimate how far the department may be able to issue waivers into the future.
States’ responses to the pandemic have caused a delay in reporting activities. However, the FNS estimated that, based on data from April, it might provide this extension—subject to funding—for the remaining months of 2020. The USDA stated that it will keep an eye on the quickly changing circumstances and keep Congress updated on our present capabilities and constraints.
“The SNA is very grateful that the USDA is tackling these important issues.” shared during these first few weeks of school by our members providing front-line support to students,” stated Reggie Ross, president of the School Nutrition Association. “By granting these waivers, school nutritionists will be able to concentrate on providing hungry students with the nourishment they need to succeed, instead of rushing to complete paperwork and confirm eligibility during a pandemic. We are eager to keep talking with the USDA to make sure school lunch programmes are prepared to serve the requirements of American students in the future.