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.
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.
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 public school data publications and reports website the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals for each school and district.
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.
Fund | Salary Rate/ Position | General Revenue | Trust Funds | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SALARY RATE | ||||
POSITIONS | ||||
SALARIES AND BENEFITS | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
EXPENSES | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND | ||||
AID TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS - SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
AID TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS - SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM - STATE MATCH | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
AID TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS - SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
OPERATING CAPITAL OUTLAY | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
ACQUISITION OF MOTOR VEHICLES | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
FEEDING FLORIDA | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
SUPPORT FOR FOOD BANK | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
CONTRACTED SERVICES | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
FARM SHARE PROGRAM | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
FRESH FLORIDA FOOD PRODUCTS PROGRAM | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS - EMERGENCY FEEDING ORGANIZATIONS | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
RISK MANAGEMENT INSURANCE | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE - STATE OPERATIONS | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
SPECIAL CATEGORIES | ||||
TRANSFER TO DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES - HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES PURCHASED PER STATEWIDE CONTRACT | ||||
FROM FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES TRUST FUND | ||||
GRANTS AND AIDS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND NONSTATE ENTITIES - FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY | ||||
SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FOOD BANKS | ||||
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND | ||||
TOTAL |
39,270,063 |
2,193,587,262 |
Summer Meals. In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the division's Summer Food Service Program provided 24,034,003 meals to Florida children.
Feeding Students. On March 23, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service released the proposed rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision - Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 17406). The proposed rule would expand access to the non-pricing meal service option by lowering the minimum identified student percentage participation threshold from 40% to 25%. This update would allow states and schools greater flexibility to invest non-federal funds to offer no-cost meals to all enrolled students.
Other Reports
Household Food Security in the United States in 2021, USDA Economic Research Service, September 2022
School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, April 2019
Websites of Interest
USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Research and Analysis
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
Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness, Customer Service, 850-617-7400 or 1-800-504-6609
Website