The Weekly Update ·
New Simplified Geographic Preference Rule & Farm to School Month
Here’s what you need to know this week:
New Rule: Simplified Geographic Preference
USDA recently released a final rule on Simplified Geographic Preference Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs. This rule does not result in any significant changes, it is really more of a clean up rule to help codify and clarify changes from the 2024 Final Rule. Check out this summary of changes for more insights. These changes will take effect on Nov. 8, 2026 and USDA is also accepting public comments on the rule through Oct. 9.
🍎 Prep for National Farm to School Month
Speaking of local preference… October is right around the corner, marking National Farm to School Month! There are countless great ways to get involved, so here are some of our faves:
- Host a CRUNCH event! Schools around the country are encouraged to participate, but dates vary by state. CA Crunch Day is Oct. 7 – register here to receive free "Crunch It Munch It" stickers and other resources to celebrate the 11th year of CA Crunch! 🥕
- Register your celebrations on the National F2S Month calendar! Utilize the celebration toolkit, printable posters, & more from the National F2S Month resources webpage!
- Order Farm to School stickers from USDA to share the joy with your school community.
- Train your team on Farm to School by checking out the F2S videos in LunchAssist PRO!
More F2S Fun!
Last week, the LunchAssist squad got a chance to visit three different school farms! Camille visited Live Oak USD to check in with their incredible farm to school program & enjoy delicious school meals while Emma & Hannah attended NorCal SNA Chapter 2’s first meeting of the year at Santa Clara USD’s farm, where they presented on compliance updates for SY 26-27. Then, on Friday, Emma & Camille attended a beautiful dinner hosted by Morgan Hill USD’s dedicated student nutrition team at their new FarmTECH site! We feel so lucky to partner with such trail-blazing school nutrition teams. Thank you for inspiring us day after day! 🫶
Photos, from left to right: Farmer Geoff tending to the greens at Live Oak USD, the "Gratitude" dinner menu from Morgan Hill USD, Hannah & Emma speaking at a NorCal SNA Chapter 2 meeting at Santa Clara USD’s farm.
➡️ P.S. We’ll be celebrating more of California’s thriving farm to school scene at the Farm to School Summit on Oct. 15, 2026 at Soil Born Farms ~ hope to see you there!!
⭐️ Resources
- September Checklist
- SY 26-27 Adult Meal Pricing Tool
- Simplified Buy American Exceptions Tracker
- Training Library Course Catalog
- ICYMI! The Lunch Break Sep. 3 Recording
📆 Upcoming Events
- Sep. 17: What the Affordability Crisis Means for Families - No Kid Hungry
- Sep. 17: Boosting Budgets w/ Sustainable Afterschool Meal Programs - FRAC
- Sep. 21: SNA Advocacy in Action Webinar - SNA
- Sep. 24: Shared Purpose: CACFP & School Meals 101 - NCA
- Sep. 24: CA F2S Network Call - CDFA
- Sep. 25: Making the Lunchline Local: School-Food Hub Partnerships - CAFF
- ✨ Oct. 1: We're discussing Financial Management on The Lunch Break!
- ✨ Oct. 15: Join our first call for the New & Aspiring Directors Academy (NADA) by LunchAssist!
LunchAssist is an allowable use of the Cafeteria Fund, KIT Funds, and R&R Grant. 🥳 Schedule a demo to learn more.
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