Following are key excerpts from the attached:

   Notice is hereby given that the national average minimum value of donated foods, or cash in lieu thereof, per lunch under the NSLP (7 CFR part 210) and per lunch and supper under the CACFP (7 CFR part 226) shall be 29.50 cents for the period July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. 

   The Price Index is computed using five major food components in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index (cereal and bakery products; meats, poultry, and fish; dairy; processed fruits and vegetables; and fats and oils). Each component is weighted using the relative weight as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The value of food assistance is adjusted each July 1 by the annual percentage change in a three-month average value of the Price Index for March, April, and May each year. The three-month average of the Price Index decreased by 1.28 percent from 262.50 for March, April, and May of 2022, as previously published in the Federal Register, to 259.15 for the same three months in 2023. When computed on the basis of unrounded data and rounded to the nearest one-quarter cent, the resulting national average for the period July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 will be 29.50 cents per meal. This is a decrease of one half (1/2) cents from the school year 2023 (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023) rate.