Meal Reimbursement Rates 2020–21
On July 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the new reimbursement rates for the School Nutrition Programs (SNP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Food Distribution Program (FDP).
For detailed information on reimbursement rates, please see the California Department of Education (CDE) Child Nutrition Program (CNP) Meal Reimbursement Rates web page.
School Nutrition Programs Reimbursement Rates
The annual federal reimbursement rate adjustments for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The annual rate adjustment for the Special Milk Program reflects changes in the Producer Price Index for Fluid Milk Products.
Overall, reimbursement rates this year for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs increased compared to last year while the rate for the Special Milk Program went down slightly.
The SNP Reimbursement Rates for July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, document is available in the Download Forms section of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS).
State Meal Reimbursement Rates
The Proposition (Prop) 98 State Meal reimbursement rate for SNPs for School Year (SY) 2020–21 remains $0.2445 for each free and reduced-price (F/RP) lunch and breakfast that eligible program operators serve.
The current SY 2020–21 State Meal reimbursement rates apply to each F/RP breakfast and lunch served at the following program operator types:
- Prop 98 program operators participating in federal SNPs with annual certification—$0.2445
- Prop 98 program operators participating in federal SNPs without annual certification—$0.0000
Child and Adult Care Food Program Reimbursement Rates
With the exception of the paid (i.e., base) center reimbursement rate for each snack, which remains $0.08, the federal CACFP center rates and the day care home (DCH) provider rates for Program Year (PY) 2020–21 increased. The DCH sponsor administrative rates for PY 2020–21 did not increase.
For center meal rates, the free lunch and supper rate increased from $3.41 to $3.51, a $0.10 increase per meal. The centers also receive cash-in-lieu (CIL) of commodities equal to $0.2450 for each lunch and supper.
The DCH sponsor administrative rates did not increase. The monthly rate per home for the first 50 homes remains $120.
The DCH provider meal rates for Tiers I and II did increase for PY 2020–21. The CIL is included in the meal rate.
For a complete listing of all the CACFP reimbursement rates, please see the CDE CNP Meal Reimbursement Rates web page.
Food Distribution Program Meal Rate
The effective USDA Foods per meal rate for SY 20–21 is $0.3700. The USDA Foods initial base per meal rate published for SY 20–21 is $0.2450, an increase of $0.0075 from the $0.2375 SY 2019–20 base rate. However, to comply with Section 6(e) of the National School Lunch Act, which requires that USDA Foods account for at least 12 percent of the total cash assistance for the NSLP, and an additional $20 million that was provided for breakfast, the USDA added an additional $0.1250 to the base rate, increasing the effective USDA Foods per meal rate to $0.3700.
Currently, the USDA is in the process of updating the Federal Register notice. Once complete, the notice can be viewed on the USDA Food Distribution Value of Donated Food Notices web page
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.Contact Information
SNP: If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your SNP Specialist. A list of SNP Specialists is available in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS, Form ID Caseload. You can also contact the SNP Office Technicians by phone at 916-322-3005, or 916-322-1450, or 800-952-5609, option 2.
CACFP: If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your CACFP Specialist. A list of CACFP Specialists is available in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS, Form ID Caseload. You can also contact Kayla Christensen, Community Nutrition Programs Administration Office Technician, by phone at 916-324-6153 or 800-952-5609, Option 3, or by email at kchristensen@cde.ca.gov to be directed to your CACFP Specialist.
FDP: If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Amy Bell, Child Nutrition Consultant, by phone at 916-322-5051 or by email at abell@cde.ca.gov.
Questions: Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Meal Reimbursement Rates 2020–21 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)
