Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is designed to help create healthier school environments and combat childhood obesity. The FFVP expands the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience, increases their fruit and vegetable consumption, and can positively impact their present and future health.

Funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is available for the 2022-2023 school year through the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234).

Nebraska will be awarded a specified amount for the grant period of July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. The grant will be awarded to schools in two parts: July 1 – September 30, 2022 and October 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.
Funds provided to each school cover the costs associated with administering the program, including the cost of food, labor, supplies, and equipment.

Overview of USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Awarded schools offer fresh fruits and vegetables to students, at no cost to the students, during the school day. Schools must establish an implementation plan that includes service methods and frequency (serving a minimum of two days a week), integration of nutrition education, FFVP marketing and promotion and overall program administration and monitoring.

Schools with the highest enrollment of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals are given priority for participation in the FFVP based on the school data reported each October. To meet eligibility for the program, schools must:

Be an elementary school.
Represent the highest percentage of students certified for free and reduced-price benefits (at least 50 percent of enrolled students).
Participate in the National School Lunch Program.
Complete the FFVP application each year (available at the end of each school year, for the following school year).

Funding to each school is based on the school’s enrollment for the participating grades. Per student allocation for the 2022-2023 school year is $53-$57. Schools that participate more than two times per week will be receiving $54-$57; while the schools that serve FFVP twice per week will receive $53/student.

School Year 2022-2023 List of Awarded School Buildings

In consideration of changes for school food operations due to COVID-19, USDA has provided guidance to State agencies (USDA Memo SP 05-2021) to assist with determining FFVP eligibility in School Year 2022-2023. State agencies may use the data they determine to be the most accurate. Therefore, the NDE used free and reduced-price school meal data from October 2019 to identify elementary schools eligible to participate in the FFVP during SY 2022-2023. School buildings that desired to participate in the FFVP were required to submit an application in April 2022 that described their program implementation plan and provided documentation of support by their school administration and school food service director.

The deadline has passed to participate in the FFVP during school year 2022-2023. For reference, a downloadable copy of the grant application is available.

Please plan to attend the SY 2022-2023 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Training which will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST via Zoom. A training invitation and Zoom link was sent to the Authorized Representative, Claim Contact, and Food Service Director for all awarded sites on September 1, 2022.

Please contact Lauren Christensen at lauren.christensen@nebraska.gov with any questions.