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Procedural Issues General - All Articles (10)
The function must be connected to a school activity in which the children who normally attend the school are involved. The FFVP cannot be operated only for adults. However, schools may offer a limited amount of fruits and vegetables at, for example, an evening parents; meeting to introduce the FFVP to parents. Schools cannot use FFVP funds to purchase “gifts” such as fruit baskets that would be distributed to students’ families or to school personnel as a means to promote consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
What may be done with leftovers?
Food purchased with FFVP funds should be used in the FFVP. Any leftovers should be recycled in accordance with board of health requirements. The first priority for leftovers is use in the FFVP. However, if leftovers cannot be easily used in the FFVP, they may be used in the meal programs or transferred to a homeless shelter in accordance with applicable board of health requirements.
Consistent with school policy, students may take the food out of the school.
When should the fruits and vegetables be made available?
The fruits and vegetables may be made available at any time during the school day including during meal service periods, which includes any after school snack service. Schools may offer them in classrooms, hallways, as part of classroom activities such as nutrition education, on buses, before and after school, and in the food service area, including the cafeteria. However, fruits and vegetables offered during meal services in the cafeteria cannot replace similar items offered as part of reimbursable school meals and after-school snacks. Generally schools must offer the produce to all children in the school and not, for example, as a reward for the lowest absentee rate. However, produce may be offered on alternative days to different grades or to one class at a time for nutrition education purposes because, at some point, all children would have the same access.
Can fruits and vegetables be offered after school?
Free fruits and vegetables may be offered after school under the FFVP in addition to the snack service of the National School Lunch Program as well as during school sponsored student athletic programs, club meetings, and other student activities.
May split session kindergarten classes in the Special Milk Program participate in the FFVP?
Yes.
Any child in the building during the time the FFVP is in daily operation may participate.
Can teachers and school personnel take the produce offered?
The FFVP must be targeted to the students. However, teachers and school staff may consume the produce since they serve as models for behavior to encourage consumption of produce by students.
The FFVP is intended to primarily support the NSLP and SBP. However, produce purchased under the FFVP may be offered to children participating in other Child Nutrition Programs to the extent that the other CN programs operate at a school facility and do not diminish to any great extent the primary support to the NSLP and SBP.
May more than one distribution technique be used in the same school?
Schools are encouraged to develop innovative and varied methods to offer the fruits and vegetables to students. Schools may want to have different methods based on the ages of the students, such as classroom distribution for younger students and hallway distribution for older students.
