Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin
Purpose: Policy, Beneficial Information
To: All School Nutrition Program Operators
Attention: Food Service Directors, Chief Business Officials, and District Superintendents
Number: SNP-17-2018
Date: September 2018
Subject: Universal Breakfast
This management bulletin provides guidance related to recent legislation that allows school food authorities (SFA) to offer breakfast at no cost to students.
Universal Breakfast
On September 20, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 3043, which added Section 49550.5 to California Education Code (EC). EC Section 49550.5 authorizes SFAs to provide Universal Breakfast beginning with School Year 2019–20. Universal Breakfast is an option that allows SFAs participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) to provide a nutritionally adequate breakfast at no charge to all students regardless of their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. A nutritionally adequate breakfast complies with federal meal pattern requirements and, as a result, qualifies for reimbursement under the federal SBP. Under EC Section 49550.5 SFAs can use the cafeteria fund to offset operational costs associated with providing Universal Breakfast. The cafeteria fund is the nonprofit school food service account (i.e., Fund 13) as defined in Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 210.2. To read EC Section 49550.3, visit the California Legislative Information web page at http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB3043.
While all participating students receive a free breakfast under Universal Breakfast, SFAs must still claim each breakfast according to the number of breakfast meals served to free, reduced-price, and paid students. SFAs can use cafeteria funds to support Universal Breakfast; however, the SFA’s cafeteria fund must be reimbursed with nonfederal funds if the cafeteria fund alone cannot support Universal Breakfast.
Universal Breakfast is not available to school sites that are operating Provision 1, 2, 3, or the Community Eligibility Provision.
Application to Participate in Universal Breakfast
EC Section 49550.5 requires SFAs that want to participate in Universal Breakfast to submit an application on or before July 1 of each school year to the California Department of Education for approval before implementing Universal Breakfast. The application for Universal Breakfast is available in the Download Forms section of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS), Form ID SNP 70.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your School Nutrition Programs (SNP) County Specialist. The SNP County Specialist list is available in the Download Forms section of CNIPS, Form ID Caseload. You can also contact the SNP Office Technician, by phone at 916-322-3005 to be directed to your SNP County Specialist.