# National School Lunch Act *United States federal statute; the statutory parent, through its Section 13, of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program.* The National School Lunch Act is a United States federal statute governing federally supported food service programs for children. On May 8, 1968, [[Public Law 90-302]] amended it. The law's title, *An Act to amend the National School Lunch Act to strengthen and expand food service programs for children*, states its purpose.[^1] Public Law 90-302 added Section 13 under the heading "SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN." That section is the single statutory parent of both the [[Child and Adult Care Food Program]] (CACFP) and the [[Summer Food Service Program]] (SFSP).[^1] In [[Minnesota]], the [[Minnesota Department of Education]] (MDE) administered both programs. In June 2024 the [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^2] The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted the [[Feeding Our Future]] matter under the umbrella term [[Federal Child Nutrition Program]]. Its results include guilty pleas in January 2025 and a 500-month sentence in May 2026.[^3][^4] The project's at-issue record pairs the 1968 enactment with a March 2026 White House presidential action establishing a task force to eliminate fraud.[^5] ## Who Section 13 was enacted while [[Orville Freeman]] of [[Minneapolis]] was [[Secretary of Agriculture]]. He served from January 21, 1961, to January 20, 1969, in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. That period includes May 8, 1968.[^6][^7][^8] The project's validated dossier records that President Johnson signed Public Law 90-302.[^1] In 1989 Congress enacted the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989, Public Law 101-147.[^9] The sources in the record do not state the party composition of the Congresses that passed either law. ## What Section 13 authorized meals served through "private, nonprofit institutions or public institutions, such as child day-care centers, settlement houses, or recreation centers."[^1] Section 105(a) of Public Law 101-147 renamed section 17 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1766). The new heading reads "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM."[^9] ## When - May 8, 1968: Public Law 90-302 was approved, 82 Stat. 117. It added Section 13.[^1] - November 10, 1989: Public Law 101-147 was approved. Section 105(a) gave section 17 the heading "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM."[^9] ## Why The 1968 law's stated aim, in its title, was to strengthen and expand food service programs for children.[^1] The documented outputs of the two programs it parented, as they ran in Minnesota, are these: - A state audit finding that the administering agency did not act on known warning signs.[^2] - A federal prosecution covering more than 250 program sites.[^3] - A single Minneapolis restaurant that the U.S. Attorney's Office says received more than $16 million in fraudulent program funds.[^4] ## How much Section 13 authorized "$32,000,000 for each of the three fiscal years ending June 30, 1969, June 30, 1970, and June 30, 1971."[^1] The project's dossier puts the total taken through CACFP and SFSP in Minnesota at roughly $250 million. It cites the Justice Department and the Legislative Auditor for that figure. The release passages quoted in the record do not themselves state it.[^3][^2] ## In the at-issue record The pair [[At issue 001 - On May 8, 1968, Public Law 90-302 added]] (rank 1) anchors on the White House presidential action *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (March 2026).[^5] It sets that action beside the May 8, 1968 enactment of Section 13, which is the statutory parent of CACFP and SFSP.[^1] It also notes that Orville Freeman was Secretary of Agriculture on the date of enactment.[^6] The at-issue row makes three further statements: - Fifty-four years later, Freeman's son had been chief prosecutor of Hennepin County for sixteen of the previous twenty-two years. - The federal conviction count in the matter stands at 68. - The county's stands at none. The dossier adds that the county office brought none of the cases. Those statements are the project's, and the cited primary sources do not establish them independently. The record does not establish any reason for that sequence, and this article does not infer one.[^5] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who The Legislative Auditor's review names CACFP and SFSP. It states that "The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is responsible for administering these programs in Minnesota."[^2] The Justice Department describes Feeding Our Future as "a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program."[^3] The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced guilty pleas by two people: - A co-owner of [[Safari Restaurant]]. - Co-defendant Abdi Nur Salah, whom the release identifies as a former senior aide to the [[Minneapolis mayor]], Jacob Frey.[^4] ### What The [[Legislative Auditor]] found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^2] The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] is the period in which the prosecuted claims arose. According to the Justice Department, the sponsor "submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)." The release does not name CACFP or SFSP.[^3] At sentencing, [[Judge Nancy Brasel]] told the defendant: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it."[^3] The release reports a sentence of 500 months for the defendant it calls the ringleader.[^3] ### When - June 2024: the Legislative Auditor's special review.[^2] - January 28, 2025: the Safari Restaurant guilty pleas.[^4] - May 22, 2026: the 500-month sentence.[^3] ### Where The Justice Department counts "more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota."[^3] The dossier identifies the single largest site as a restaurant in Minneapolis. The U.S. Attorney's Office states that Safari Restaurant "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds."[^4] ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Congress, *Public Law 90-302, An Act to amend the National School Lunch Act to strengthen and expand food service programs for children*, 82 Stat. 117 (May 8, 1968) — adds NSLA §13 under the heading "SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN"; authorizes $32,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1969–1971; names eligible institutions. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-82/pdf/STATUTE-82-Pg117.pdf [^2]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Minnesota Department of Education: Oversight of Feeding Our Future*, Special Review (June 2024) — names CACFP and SFSP; MDE administers them; MDE failed to act on known warning signs. https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/2024-mdefof.pdf [^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 Months* (May 22, 2026) — sponsor in the Federal Child Nutrition Program; claims submitted to MDE; more than 250 sites; Judge Brasel's statement at sentencing. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months [^4]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Former Minneapolis Mayoral Aide and Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Both Plead Guilty* (Jan. 28, 2025) — Safari Restaurant received more than $16 million in fraudulent program funds; co-defendant Abdi Nur Salah, former senior aide to Mayor Jacob Frey. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/former-minneapolis-mayoral-aide-and-safari-restaurant-co-owner-both-plead-guilty-250 [^5]: The White House, *Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud* (March 2026) — presidential action serving as the anchor of the at-issue pair. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/establishing-the-task-force-to-eliminate-fraud/ [^6]: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, *Officials of the Kennedy Administration* — Orville Freeman as Secretary of Agriculture. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy/fast-facts-john-f-kennedy/officials-of-the-kennedy-administration [^7]: Miller Center, *Orville Freeman (1961) Secretary of Agriculture* (Kennedy administration) — Freeman's tenure from January 21, 1961. https://millercenter.org/president/kennedy/essays/freeman-1961-orville-secretary-of-agriculture [^8]: Miller Center, *Orville Freeman (1963) Secretary of Agriculture* (Johnson administration) — Freeman's tenure to January 20, 1969. https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson/essays/freeman-1963-secretary-of-agriculture [^9]: U.S. Congress, *Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989*, Public Law 101-147, §105(a) (Nov. 10, 1989) — sets the heading of NSLA section 17 (42 U.S.C. 1766) to "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg877.pdf