Food and Nutrition Programs

National School Lunch, Breakfast, Special Milk, Afterschool Snack Reimbursement for Fiscal Year-FY 2012

To:	Superintendents of Public Schools, Administrators of Private Schools, Residential Child Care Institutions and School Nutrition Directors
From:	Kathleen C. Millett Administrator Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety Programs
Date:	August 1, 2011

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the reimbursement rates for School Food Service Programs effective July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. Federal reimbursement for free and reduced price lunches have increased. The state share is based on a state matching funds formula established at the federal level. Based on the funds available, the state lunch rate share will remain at $ 0.0525 per meal.

National School Lunch	State Share	Federal Share	Total
Paid Lunch	$ .0525+	$ .26	$ .3125
Reduced Price Lunch	.0525+	.26 + 2.11	2.4225
Free Lunch	.0525+	.26 + 2.51	2.8225

School systems in which 60% or more of the lunches served in 2009-2010 were free or reduced price will receive an additional 2 cents per lunch for all reimbursable lunches. The maximum charge for a reduced price lunch is 40 cents.

School Breakfast	Federal Non-Severe Reimbursement	Federal Severe Need Reimbursement
Paid Breakfast	$ .27	$ .27
Reduced Price Breakfast	1.21	1.50
Free Breakfast	1.51	1.80

The maximum charge for a reduced price breakfast is 30 cents. A "severe need breakfast school" is one in which 40% of lunches served in 2009-2010 were free or reduced price lunch meals. As a result of the reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs (Public Law 108-265), severe need breakfast schools do not need to submit cost documentation to receive the federal severe need breakfast reimbursement. Schools required to offer breakfast under state law will be eligible for up to $0.14 for breakfast costs that exceed Federal Severe Need Reimbursement. These state-mandated schools must provide documentation of costs to receive this additional state reimbursement. Special Milk reimbursement is $0.2050 per half pint. Special milk recipients do not participate in other child nutrition programs. Pricing programs with the free milk option receive the average cost per pint for eligible students. Afterschool Snack Reimbursement (All "At Risk" snacks are reimbursed at the Free Rate of $0.76.)

Paid Snack	$ .07
Reduced Price Snack	$ .38
Free Snack	$ .76

Meal Pricing Guidelines. In general, the pricing of paid student meals should not exceed the actual cost of preparing the meals less the federal and state reimbursement rounded off to the next highest multiple of 5 cents. Adult meal charges must be priced to at least cover the actual cost of preparing and serving the meal. In addition, adults must be charged the state meals tax. An annual review of paid meal prices must be conducted to be in compliance with the equity in meal pricing provision of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296). The commodity assistance level is at $0.2225 per lunch served for 2010-2011. Thank you for your continuing support of the Child Nutrition Programs. If you have any questions, please contact the School Nutrition Programs Section at (781) 338-6494. Best wishes for a successful school year.

Last Updated: August 31, 2011