National School Lunch Program

Programs > National School Lunch Program

Establishing good eating habits by offering low-cost nutritious lunches to children during the school day

Download the Quick Reference for NSLP/SBP for more information!

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program that provides lunches to more than 3 million Texas children in school and residential child care institutions.

The NSLP serves nutritious, low-cost or free lunches to students in public and non-profit private schools in Texas. Lunches must meet federal nutrition guidelines, and are reimbursable to schools based on number of meals served.

Local Food for Schools Grant Available
To learn more and opt in, click here.

Emergency/Sole Source Procurement Request

Capital Expenditure Resources:

It is important for the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to process Capital Expenditure Requests as soon as possible. When a Contracting Entity submits a request, please allow five to seven business days for processing. If TDA returns the request for corrections, the timeline will start over.

Supply Chain Assistance Funds:

Learn About Supply Chain Assistance Funds

CACFP At-Risk:
Apply for CACFP At-Risk

2024 State Match Awards

March 28, 2024 - 2024 State matching payments were processed in TX-UNPS on March 22, 2024. Public/Charter schools that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) last year should receive the funds within 10 days.

The reimbursement amounts were determined using a statewide rate of 0.025971056187 times the number of reimbursable school lunches reported on NSLP claims between September 2022 and August 2023.

Upon receipt, these funds should be deposited into the school food service fund under General Revenue, Fund 240, and Revenue Code 5829. These funds will be distributed by electronic funds transfer in the same manner as the monthly reimbursement claims. Payment amounts may be viewed in TX-UNPS by going to the Claims menu and clicking Payment Summary.

State Match Amounts

Self-certification Option to Increase Micro-purchase Threshold

The Texas Department of Agriculture is opening the self-certification process as an option to increase the micro-purchase threshold for Contracting Entities (CEs) operating the National School Lunch Program. This will be an annual process that CEs must be approved for to increase the threshold.

The process will open August 1 and close October 31, 2024. Submissions will not be accepted outside of those timeframes.

CEs may only self-certify a threshold up to $49,999.99.

All information is required during submission and will be verified during an Administrative Review. If the submitted information is not accurate and documentation is not maintained, a finding will be issued, and fiscal action will apply.

Exception: If the CE has multiple compliance issues noted in the prior year’s ARs, TDA might require the CE to provide low-risk audit documentation upfront to be self-certified.

Upon approval, the CE must update the procurement procedures and maintain documentation.

A mailbox has been set up for questions: selfcertification@texasagriculture.gov.

Instructions for the process

Submit Self-certification Here
To apply, click on the Smartsheet link.

Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.