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Products of your farm or garden are excluded from food licensing requirements (see Food Licensing Exclusions and Exemptions). However, if you want to resell produce from another grower or supplier, you need a Food Handler. Please contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Licensing Liaison for more information via email at mda.licensing@state.mn.us, or by phone at 651-201-6062.

• My school district has received a Farm to School grant in the past. Am I eligible to apply for FY 2026 Farm to School and Early Care grant funds?
  • Yes, you are eligible to apply for the Full Tray and Equipment Grant.
  • Only apply for the amount of FY 2026 grant funding you can spend before December 31, 2028.
• As a school district that was previously awarded a First Bite Grant for our K-12 meal program, can I now apply for the Full Tray Grant for K-12 and also apply for a First Bite Grant for our onsite early care program that participates in CACFP?
  • No, schools can only submit one grant application. If your school district operates both NSLP for K-12 students and CACFP for an early childhood education program, you should submit only one application for both programs.
  • If your district has already received a First Bite Grant, you can apply for the Full Tray Grant. In that application, you can combine the reimbursable NSLP, SBP, and CACFP meals and snacks served in October 2024 to determine the amount of Full Tray funding eligibility. Use the formula:
    • (NSLP and SBP meals served + CACFP meals and snacks served) x $0.10 x 12 months = eligible amount of funding for the Full Tray Grant
• We meet the eligibly requirements outlined in the RFP but use a food service management company for our meals, so we do not purchase our own food directly. Are we still eligible to apply for this grant? If so, are there any special considerations we need to make?
  • Yes, you are eligible for this grant but will need to show evidence that food your school buys is eligible under the program. Before you apply, coordinate with your nutrition department staff and other food service management company staff to ensure they are aware of and can follow through with the grant deliverables.
  • If awarded a grant, you will need to work with your food service management company to provide the MDA with the following information to document proof of purchase of eligible food items: list of food items that the company purchased for the grant project, farm source for each item, and the price paid for each item. This documentation could be a single invoice from the company outlining all food purchases, or invoices/receipts provided by the company from farms for the food items purchased. You will also need to provide the MDA with proof of payment to the company for the items purchased.
• Is this grant only for Federal Food program schools?
  • Yes, the grant is intended for schools participating in the NSLP and ECE centers participating in the CACFP. We encourage school districts and ECE centers serving sovereign tribal nations to apply.