On August 31, 2020, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will extend several flexibilities through as late as December 31, 2020. The flexibilities allow summer meal program operators to continue serving free meals to all children into the fall months, which will help ensure – no matter what the situation is on-the-ground – that children will have access to nutritious food as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is extending a suite of nationwide waivers for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through the end of 2020, or until available funding runs out.  This includes:

• Allowing SFSP and SSO meals to be served in all areas and at no cost;
• Permitting meals to be served outside of the typically-required group settings and meal times;
• Waiving meal pattern requirements as necessary; and
• Allowing parents and guardians to pick-up meals for their children.

Collectively, these flexibilities ensure meal options for children so they can access meals under all circumstances.

According to the USDA, it has continuously recalculated remaining appropriated funds to determine how far it may be able to provide waivers into the future, as Congress did not authorize enough funding for the entire 2020-2021 school year.  Reporting activities are delayed due to states responding to the pandemic; however, based upon the April data, USDA currently has available funding for the remaining months of 2020.

USDA will continue to actively monitor this rapidly evolving situation and continue to keep Congress informed of its abilities and limitations.

For more information on FNS’ response to COVID-19, visit fns.usda.gov/coronavirus.

To access the USDA announcement in its entirety, click here.