2026 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Rates are Published by USDA

The 2026 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) rates have been published by USDA.

The rates are annually adjusted each year and reflect the changes in the Consumer Price Index, Food Away from Home series. There was an increase in rates ranging from a 4-cent increase to a 19-cent increase, the average, as FNS USDA state,s is a 3.7 percent increase from last year. Shown above are the combined rates of operating rates and administrative rates. You can see the details and how operating and administrative rates changed individually on FNS USDA webpage and in the federal register notice.

Note that the Summer Seamless Option (SSO) rates are not exactly the same as the SFSP rates. "Meals served are reimbursed at the NSLP and/or SBP “free” rates which are slightly lower than the SFSP rates" (USDA, 2024). Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) are eligible to operate SSO.

Learn more about feeding children food during the summer when school is out.

• FNS USDA website, Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids

• In California, the Department of Education (CDE) administers the Summer Meal Programs

• What is the Summer Food Service Program & Who is Eligible?

• Summer Nutrition Programs, FRAC

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