TDA Moving Online Meetings to TEAMS in May
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is transitioning online meetings from Zoom to Teams! Starting May 2026, all external calls, meetings, and webinars will be hosted on Microsoft Teams instead of Zoom. We will be sure to share the new meeting and webinar links and additional instructions for external users via our April and May newsletters, eBlast announcements, SquareMeals, and TXUNPS.  

Annual NSLP Financial Report Due Date - March 27, 2026
The 2026 NSLP Financial Report submittal due date deadline is March 27, 2026.

The 2026 NSLP Financial Report opens on January 5, 2026. The data used to complete the 2026 NSLP Financial Report will be financial information from school year 2024-2025. 

The 2026 NSLP Financial Report is completed via Jot Form and is available on our SquareMeals website, along with other resources to assist school food authorities (SFAs) in completing the 2026 NSLP Financial Report
2026-2027 Universal Breakfast Program Waiver The Universal Breakfast Program Waiver application is now open! The application period runs from March 15 – June 30, 2026. To access the waiver request go to TXUNPS, Applications, Download Forms, SNP-000 Request for Exemptions/Waivers for Program Operation.
 

FSMC Fridays
TDA will continue to host FSMC Fridays. Dates are scheduled for the third Friday of each month from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. You must register to attend. If food service management companies attend this webinar, they will be disqualified from submitting proposals. 

Click here to register for the FSMC Friday Webinars.

Renewing CEs
For all program-application-related updates, please  click here.  


Click here to get the link for monthly school calls under Webinars.

Community Eligibility Provision Deadline - June 30, 2026 
Participation in CEP for the 2026-2027 school year requires submission of an application in TANS by June 30, 2026. Please contact your Education Service Center if you have questions or need technical assistance.

  
 TXUNPS Replacement Coming Soon The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is excited to transition from TX-UNPS to the Texas Automated Nutrition System (TANS)! TANS will provide a web-based platform that meets the needs of child nutrition programs in Texas and give users a more modern experience. Visit the TANS page onSquareMeals for updates, resources, training, and more!

 Extreme Heat/Poor Air Quality Waiver
TDA has released the new waiver to be used to report non-congregate meals served at outdoor SFSP or SSO sites.  Please scroll down to the "SNP Updates" section below to read about the requirements.
2026 State Match Award
 
April 1, 2026
2026 State matching payments were processed in TX-UNPS on March 27, 2026. 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 0.026186429249 times the number of reimbursable school lunches reported on NSLP claims between September 2024 and August 2025.
 
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.
 






Claim Processing Days - Tuesday and Thursday

The internal cut-off time for claim submission on processing days is noon (12 p.m.). Our team will process all claims submitted before the 12 p.m. deadline on the processing day if funds are available. This deadline will ensure staff have the adequate time to review your submission before sending your payment to the Comptroller. Claim submissions received after the deadline will be processed on the next processing day or as soon as funds become available.
Having Trouble Identifying a Payment You Received from TDA?
Warehouse Private Storage & Delivery Fee reimbursement payments were issued to schools on October 2, 2025. Warehouse charges that were disputed by CEs will be reimbursed later in the month once the disputes have been resolved. The link below will provide information about these payments and list recipients and payment amounts. Warehouse Delivery Fee reimbursements cover the distribution costs schools paid during the 2024 - 2025 school year. TDA reimbursed 100% of both delivery and storage fees for USDA Foods from the state-contracted warehouses.  These can be recognized as CN-COMM DEL PY24-25 and CN-COMM STOR PY24-25.

https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Food-Distribution-Program-for-NSLP/Contracted-Warehouses (Payments issued October 2025)
Comptroller Portal: View Payment Status
Your organization can sign up to view payments online at the Texas Comptroller. This gives you real time information on payments on the way to your bank. This portal will allow you to see all State of Texas payment information, not just TDA. To see the invoice description of your payment, drill down on the payment number. 

A first-time user will need to create a profile to gain access to the system. Using the following link, click the create profile button and follow the instructions to obtain your user ID and password - https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/securitymp1portal/displayLoginUser.do

 

PLEASE NOTE: For all program updates, please scroll down to the "SNP Updates" section of the bulletin board.

SNP Applications

  • NSLP Program Year 2025-2026 (SY26)
    The program year for NSLP is now set to default to PY26. Please take note of the program year in which you are updating the application packet to ensure that the correct program year is being updated.  

SNP General

  • “Verification Reporting (FNS-742)”

    “The Verification Report (FNS-742) must be submitted via JotForm. The link to the Verification Report JotForm can be found on the Download Forms page under item SNP-123.”


SNP Updates

  • Extreme Heat/Poor Air Quality Waiver


    TDA has released the new Waiver Request to Server Summer Non-Congregate Meals in Cases of Extreme Heat/Poor Air Quality. This form must be used to report non-congregate meals served at outdoor SFSP or SSO sites when one or both of the following has occurred in the area where the site is located:

    • The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Heat Advisory, Excessive Heat Warning, or Excessive Heat Watch (https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-ww)
    • The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a purple flag or higher air quality warning for the area (https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/)

    Requirements

    • Information on this form, including number of non-congregate meals served, must be reported for each individual site that served non-congregate meals on the reported date.
    • CEs must submit one form for each day this waiver was used, although information for multiple sites operating on a single day can be entered.
    • Sites must upload proof of the heat or air quality event (available from the sites listed above)
    • Sites cannot serve non-congregate meals if there is an alternative, temperature-controlled site available to serve meals in a congregate setting.
    • Meals served under this waiver must be served to children. Parent/Guardian pickup without a child present is not allowable under this waiver.
    • Only a single day’s meals may be bundled at a time. Multi-day bundling is not allowed.
    • Meal service times cannot be changed within 24 hours of the service time listed on the site application. If meal service times are changed, the site must make every effort to notify the community and post signage at the site about the time change.

    To access the form, in TX-UNPS, go to either the SFSP or SSO module, select Applications, and then Download Forms (Form SFSP-009 for SFSP and Form SNP-009for SSO). Note that the form can also be accessed from the waiver portal located in SNP-000. 
     

  • How to close a site application in TX-UNPS
    There are two scenarios in which a CE may convey in TX-UNPS that a site is no longer operational. The site application may either be closed or in some cases, it may be deleted. A site that has been approved at least one time cannot be deleted. The only option would be to close the site. A site that has never received initial approval may be deleted or closed. Please note, should the CE wish to resume operations at that site, a closed site application may be re-opened by request at a later date, and amended as needed. In contrast, a deleted site must be recreated entirely as no data would be saved from the prior site application once deleted.

    Step 1. Navigate in TX-UNPS to the Application Packet Site List where the site applications are listed.
    Step 2. Select under the Version/Status column, the hot link notating the site’s version such as Original, Rev. 2, etc.
    Step 3. Select the Close Site button located in the bottom right corner of the screen.
    Step 4. Complete the text fields:
    a. Closed/Terminated Date: Enter the date the last reimbursable meal was served at the site. 
    b. Closed/Terminated Code: Select either Self Cancelled if site is no longer operational or Contracting Entity Closed if the CE is ceasing food program operations entirely.
    c. Closed/Terminated Reason: Enter a brief reason why the site is being closed. The option selected for the Closed/Terminated Code may be repeated in this field.
    d. Closed/Terminated Comment: Enter a brief reason why the site is being closed. The option selected for the Closed/Terminated Code may be repeated in this field.
    Step 5. Select Save to complete the process.

TX-UNPS FAQs

  • Can my administrative assistant use my log-in?
    TX-UNPS authorized users MUST NOT share their assigned user name and password; to do so is a security violation and the offending party will have their TX-UNPS user rights revoked. Each authorized user MUST have his/her own user name and password.

    Contact your User Access Manager (UAM) to add or remove a user from TX-UNPS. If your entity does not have a UAM assigned, your entity must submit the Certificate of Authority for User Access Manager (FND-135) form to TDA to assign one.
  • How often do I need to change my password?
    Passwords expire every 90 days. A reminder message will appear 20 days before your password expires. Use the Security button on the TX-UNPS tool bar to reset your password when prompted by TX-UNPS.

    Please note that you will not be able to access the direct certification lists or direct verification module on the day you reset your password. You must wait until the following day to access these screens.

    For security reasons, the user session time out in TX-UNPS is 20 minutes. Please keep this in mind when entering data (especially on the  Site Application and Food Safety Inspection screens).
  • How do I use the "Save" button?
    The Save button, available at the bottom of each screen, can be used at any time. This will enable you to save your work and either continue working or come back later without losing any information. So be sure to save regularly so you don't lose any information.
  • Can I have TX-UNPS open on more than one window?
    TX-UNPS only allows users to sign into TX-UNPS only a single time. If a user signs into TX-UNPS more than once, a session conflict will occur and must be resolved by the user. The instructions for resolving session conflicts are at http://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/TXUNPS.aspx.
  • How do I get technical assistance?
    For technical assistance, call 1-877-TEX-MEAL or contact your local Educational Service Center (ESC).  Please note that your local ESC now provides technical assistance for SNP, SFSP, and CACFP At-Risk. Current contact information for the ESCs is available on SquareMeals.org.

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