The purpose of the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness is to conduct, supervise, and administer child nutrition and commodity food distribution programs. The division does so by providing outreach, guidance and training to child nutrition program sponsors, schools, school food service directors, parent and teacher organizations and students about the benefit of fresh food produced in Florida.

• Ensure Child Access to Daily Nutritious Food. The division supplies nutritious meals to children via the National School Lunch Program, which provides meals during the school day and the Summer Food Service Program, which provides meals to children 18 and under while school is out for the summer. Additionally, the division provides Nutrition Education Resources for nutrition professionals and families to expand Florida's nutrition programs in schools and at home through education, outreach, and activities.
• Increase Knowledge. Living Healthy in Florida is a collaborative multiagency partnership to inform Florida's children, families, and seniors about healthy eating, good nutrition, and active living. The Roadmap to Living Healthy provides localized health and nutrition data to improve access to food and improve health. The effort provides best practices for healthy eating, healthy learning, and healthy moving.
• Reduce Food Insecurity. The division administers several programs in Florida to help reduce food insecurity among Florida's most vulnerable populations, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Recovery Program, WIC/Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, and USDA Foods.

 

Section 595.405, Florida Statutes, provides standards for school food and nutrition services and requires each school district to establish and maintain an appropriate school food and nutrition service program consistent with the nutritional needs of students District school boards are charged with adopting policies consistent with state and federal law to provide the program, set pricing for meals, and annually provide information on programs. For the National School Lunch Program, schools are responsible for applying to operate the program, attending training, maintaining documentation and verification of eligibility and meal counts by eligibility category, and  maintaining meal production and inventory records, on-site accountability review records, and program income and expenditure records.

Under the Ms. Willie Ann Glenn Act, each school district must develop a plan to sponsor and implement a summer nutrition program in collaboration with municipal and county government agencies and not-for-profit entities.

Section 595.404, Florida Statutes, designates the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) with the powers and duties to conduct, supervise, and administer school food and nutrition programs using federal, state, or other funding sources. Further, the department must encourage the development of innovative school food and nutrition services along with expanding program participation. To meet these requirements, the division provides guidance, training, outreach, and technical support to schools operating the program.

Additionally, the division is responsible for protecting the integrity of the programs it administers. The division enters into agreements with school food authorities to provide reimbursements for meals that meet federal nutritional requirements. The primary way the division ensures compliance with federal, state, and contractual requirements is to conduct periodic reviews.

USDA's Child Nutrition Programs provide healthy food to children,and include the federal government's National School Lunch Program, and School Breakfast Program, in addition to other food service grant programs. These school nutrition programs are designed to assist states through grants and other means in establishing, maintaining, operating, and expanding student food programs while safeguarding the health and well-being of the nation's children and encouraging the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other foods. Federal regulations establish rules for eligibility, meal nutritional requirements and limits, and a compliance inspection system.

Families may apply for financial assistance for free or reduced price meals for students by submitting a Free and Reduced Price School Meal Application directly to their local school at any time throughout the school year for an eligibility determination. Eligibility is determined based on family household size and income in relation to the federal poverty level, or categorical eligibility based on enrollment in another assistance program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines used to determine eligibility are made annually and are effective from July 1 through June 30 every year.

The Florida Department of Education posts on its Education Information & Accountability Services' Data Publications and Reports website the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals for each school, within each district, and statewide. 

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program allows eligible schools to offer breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge without the use of traditional paper applications. Eligible schools predominantly serve low-income children. A list of eligible schools is published annually by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 

COVID-19.  In response to the increased food insecurity caused by COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued a variety of emergency waivers of program requirements, new initiatives, and additional funding to state agencies. In Florida, the Child Nutrition Programs implemented waivers for the 2020-2021 school year that allowing for flexibilities including non-congregate meals, pick up meals, meal pattern flexibility, and free meals to be served to all students under national area eligibility.

The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) granted Florida the authority to issue Pandemic Electronic Transfer Benefit (P-EBT) benefits to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and non-SNAP households with one or more students who temporarily lost access to free and reduced-price meals at school due to COVID-19 school closures and distance learning. The USDA-FNS has authorized these waivers through June 30, 2022, to extend through the 2021-2022 school year.

Other Reports
Evaluation of Alternatives to Provide Elderly Access to SNAP, Social Policy Research Associates under the direction of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, May, 2020.
Evaluation of Demonstration Projects to End Childhood Hunger (EDECH): Final Interim Evaluation Report, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, February 2018.
Evaluation of Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, March 2018.
Evaluation of the Elementary Schools Pilot Project for Canned, Frozen, or Dried Fruits and Vegetables in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, January 2017.

Websites of Interest
USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Nutrition Assistance Programs
USDA, Food Distribution Programs
USDA, Nutrition Standards for School Meals
USDA, National Agricultural Library
Food Research and Action Center, Federal Nutrition Programs
National Farm to School Network
School Nutrition Association

Performance Information

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapter 595 and ss. 570.64, Florida Statutes.

Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness, Customer Service, 850-617-7400 or 1-800-504-6609

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