Department of Agriculture (USDA), which funds the programs, granted Minnesota more than 100 waivers. To try to dispense food quickly and safely amid the pandemic and school closures, the U.S. Officials from MDE declined an interview request for this article. The return to pre-pandemic rules is already slowing down approval of new sites and preventing some organizations from participating, providers said. Setting aside the alleged fraud, legitimate organizations were serving more meals during the pandemic because schools were closed and families could pick up multiple meals at once, nonprofit leaders said. Now, nonprofit leaders say, the programs will likely "self-correct" from the high numbers of meals reported during the pandemic. Those waivers all ended by June 30, returning the state to more rigorous pre-pandemic rules. The more lax rules opened the door to the fraud scheme that federal prosecutors say is the largest pandemic-related fraud in the country. And meals could be sent home instead of requiring children to eat at a dining site. Regulators with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), which administers the federal program, reduced in-person visits to examine meal distribution, for instance. "We recognize that there will be additional scrutiny but the scrutiny shouldn't be at the level it prevents people who have done the work well from being able to continue to do the work."įederal waivers loosened rules and oversight when COVID-19 first arrived. justifiably," said Marcus Pope, president of Youthprise, a Minneapolis nonprofit that's participated in nutrition programs since 2015. "In general, it's more difficult to bring on new sites now because of the extra oversight and due diligence. While that is welcome news to many longtime nonprofit meal providers, several said they also worry the allegations of a $250 million food fraud scandal will spur new regulations that could make it more difficult for legitimate organizations to distribute food to low-income children. Oversight of federal child nutrition programs is intensifying in Minnesota again as the state returns to pre-pandemic rules for feeding needy children.
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