Tennessee DOE details Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program rules, applications and funding timeline

Marlea Finch, assistant director at the Tennessee Department of Education, led a state training webinar on the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) and walked school nutrition staff through program rules, allowable items, application steps and funding timelines.

The session explained that FFVP is a supplemental program under the National School Lunch Program intended to give elementary students access to fresh produce outside of meal times and to introduce children to a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. “We want to offer the natural state of these produce items for students to see,” Finch said during the presentation.

Program basics and why it matters

The FFVP is intended to expand the variety of produce items available to participating students, increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and help develop long-term healthy eating habits. Finch emphasized that FFVP servings must be offered outside of breakfast and lunch, during the regular school day, and cannot be offered before or after school or during summer school.

Who is eligible and what can be served

FFVP eligibility is limited to elementary schools (pre-K through sixth grade). Sites must have at least 50% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals; that calculation is pulled automatically into the state’s claiming system. All children enrolled at an approved FFVP site are eligible to receive the snacks; teachers may participate only as role models.

Allowable items are fresh fruits and vegetables only (no canned, frozen or dried fruit). Low-fat or fat-free dips are allowed with vegetables only; Finch specified that low-fat is defined as 3 grams of fat or less…