SNA USDA Regulations & Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in school nutrition?
- A program allowing high-poverty schools to serve free meals to all students without individual applications (Correct answer)
- A grant for building new school cafeterias
- A tax exemption for school food purchases
- A training program for new cafeteria workers
Correct answer: A program allowing high-poverty schools to serve free meals to all students without individual applications
CEP allows schools with at least 40% identified students (directly certified for free meals) to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students, eliminating household applications.
Question 2: What percentage of identified students must a school have to be eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision?
- 40% (Correct answer)
- 25%
- 50%
- 60%
Correct answer: 40%
Schools must have an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) of at least 40% to participate in CEP. The ISP is multiplied by 1.6 to determine the free claiming percentage.
Question 3: What are USDA Foods (formerly known as commodity foods) provided to school nutrition programs?
- Agricultural products purchased by USDA and donated to schools (Correct answer)
- Foods purchased directly from local farmers by schools
- Surplus items from school cafeteria inventory
- Imported foods approved for school use
Correct answer: Agricultural products purchased by USDA and donated to schools
USDA purchases domestic agricultural products and donates them to schools participating in the NSLP, supporting both American agriculture and school meal programs.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) following a USDA Administrative Review?
- To document how the school will fix identified compliance issues (Correct answer)
- To request additional USDA funding
- To propose new menu items for the next school year
- To report student participation statistics
Correct answer: To document how the school will fix identified compliance issues
A CAP outlines specific steps, timelines, and responsible personnel for correcting findings identified during an Administrative Review, ensuring the program returns to compliance.
Question 5: Under federal rules, how often must state agencies conduct Administrative Reviews of local school nutrition programs?
- Every 3 years (Correct answer)
- Annually
- Every 5 years
- Every 2 years
Correct answer: Every 3 years
State agencies are required to conduct Administrative Reviews of each school food authority at least once every three years to ensure ongoing compliance with federal requirements.
Question 6: What is the 'paid lunch equity' requirement for school nutrition programs?
- The price of paid meals must be at least equal to the difference between free and paid reimbursement rates (Correct answer)
- All students must pay the same amount for lunch
- Schools must offer equal portions to all students
- Paid lunch revenue must equal total food costs
Correct answer: The price of paid meals must be at least equal to the difference between free and paid reimbursement rates
Paid lunch equity ensures that revenue from paid meals at least covers the difference between the federal free meal reimbursement rate and the paid meal reimbursement rate, preventing underfunding.
SNA USDA Regulations & Compliance 2
What is the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in school nutrition?