FNS Documents & Resources

The average material prices are listed by school year and used by processors participating in the USDA Foods processing program.

This fact sheet outlines a number of additional resources for those seeking to directly purchase or raise food products for school nutrition programs.

"Food Safety Frequently Asked Questions: The Food Safety Modernization Act and its Impact on Farm to School Activities": This document includes common questions related to food safety when purchasing locally grown and raised food products directly from producers as well as food safety considerations for edible campus gardens.

See what foods are available for your menus next school year!

This fact sheet provides an overview of the amount of fiber that has been available for consumption between 2000 and 2005 and the level of contribution by grains to fiber in the U.S. food supply.

The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) Food Prices Database presents the cost of these consumed foods for 2003-04. It shows the actual cost of an apple consumed, the cost of a glass of juice drunk, the cost of lasagna eaten, etc. For example, did you know that when you purchase a whole chicken and only consume the meat, your price per pound eaten is actually twice the price per pound purchased? This is because the weight of the skin and bones is about half of the whole chicken purchased. The information in this database should be of interest to nutrition educators and economists who wish to compare relative prices of different foods as consumed, rather than the purchase price.