Brown Box to Bulk
Indiana Department of Education 2020 Early Fall 2nd Edition
What is IDOE’s Food Distribution Program (FDP)?
FDP is a program administered through the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) for eligible institutions to receive entitlement dollars to purchase food from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These foods are USDA Foods (formerly known as commodities), and can be used within the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), School Breakfast Program (SBP) and After School Snack Program (ASSP). To learn more about FDP, please visit: https://www.doe.in.gov/nutrition/usda-foods-distribution-program.
Important Updates
Weekly Allocations
Allocations have begun for school year 2020-2021. Schools should check at least once per week to verify which USDA Foods have been received. Schools can place USDA Foods orders in the CNPweb as soon as possible. Schools should ensure orders meet the 10 case per site minimum in order to avoid state assigned warehouses charging delivery drop and/or restocking fees.
USDA Foods Sent to the Processors
Both the dark and white portions of bulk chicken and turkey sent to the processor must be utilized. Schools must choose finished end products that use all parts of the bird. USDA requires that schools process the bird, the whole bird and nothing but the whole bird.
Due to USDA's regulations and the slow usage of pounds during school year 2020, adjustments have been made to SFA pound balances at the processors. USDA regulations allow a very limited amount of excess pounds to prevent excess inventory at the processors. Pounds may also be swept from schools for non-usage. Additional pounds may be added upon request, if available.
Processors have expressed concerns regarding:
- School staff needing to be available to receive orders.
- Processors are sitting on processed finished end products. They are not moving.
- Processors should not be used for long term storage of USDA Foods.
For more information on pounds sent to the processors and available pound balances, please visit the food distribution program website at https://www.doe.in.gov/nutrition/usda-foods-distribution-program. There you will find a list of processing company brokers and the links to the commodity tracking companies, K12 Foodservice and ProcessLink under the Processors & Processing button.
USDA Foods Cancellations and Delays
Due to COVID-19, a poor crop this year for strawberries, vendors inability to completely fill contract obligations due to national shortages and the threat of excess inventory, IDOE has cancelled the October 2020 truckloads of whole frozen strawberries with the product code 110846. Schools will not receive this item for the month of October. In addition, truckloads for strawberry cups 100256 have been cancelled for November 2020, and February and April 2021.
For more information on USDA Foods allocations, ordering or deliveries please visit https://www.doe.in.gov/nutrition/usda-foods-distribution-program.
Turkey roasts scheduled for delivery to the warehouses in September and October 2020 will be delayed. Deliveries for September will now occur in January 2021 and deliveries for October will be in February 2021.
Recertifying for FDP
There are still school corporations that are in uncertified or in pending submission status for FDP. In order to place orders for USDA Foods, school must be approved for FDP. The steps to recertify can be found under the green puzzle piece update and message screen in the CNPweb.
Communication is KEY!
SFAs must communicate with FSMCs.
- FSMCs must credit SFAs for the full value of all USDA Foods used in school meal service. This Includes entitlement and bonus foods.
- All forms of crediting must provide clear documentation for the value.
Annual Pre-Order Survey
The next opportunity to request USDA Foods for your school will be in late January 2021. However, it is never too early to start preparing for it.
Entitlement dollars are entered for the school accounts currently posted in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) and these schools can proceed with placing orders. IDOE is waiting for Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to enter a few of the schools with new accounts for SY21 in FFAVORS. Entitlement will be assigned to the new schools immediately once they are entered in FFAVORS by DLA.
Receipting in FFAVORS
- Please ensure that all SFAs receipt orders in FFAVORS within five days of delivery. This must be done so the vendors can be paid.
Adding Sites to FFAVORS
- New school sites must be sent to IDOE before October 1 in order to be added to the school corporation's account in FFAVORS. If this date is missed, then the sites will be updated on the next available date which is before December 1.
- Schools should contact IDOE to add sites to FFAVORS. Please do not contact the DLA representative or USDA to add new sites.
- Please allow one month for DLA to update FFAVORS
Dishin’ Nutrition
In this section, we would like to showcase your unique ideas and recipes using USDA Foods. Please email Cheryl Moore at cmoore@doe.in.gov to submit your ideas.
Ham and Breakfast Swiss Casserole
There are several variations of this mouth-watering recipe available on the internet. It serves as a good way to use USDA Foods like sliced or diced ham 100187 or 100188, shredded cheddar cheese 100012, and a bunch of healthy veggies.
Did You Know?
There are Steps for Success in the Indiana Food Distribution Program:
- Make note of important dates from the Calendar of Important Dates.
- Review the USDA Foods Toolkit for New Food Service Directors for useful resources and information.
- Print off your monthly survey requests under the "Surveys" tab in CNPweb.
Always Remember
Expire Dates and Close Dates
- The expire date is the latest date that brown box USDA Foods residing at the state assigned warehouse must be delivered to the school to avoid excess storage fees. Excess storage fees will be charged for each case not delivered by this date. It is not the same as the expiration date on the product.
- The close date is the latest date that USDA Foods can reside in school's inventory before IDOE sweeps it and places it back into state surplus. However, due to excess storage IDOE is currently not sweeping brown box items. Schools must use all USDA Foods.
Working with Food Service Management Companies (FSMCs)
- The school sponsor is always the owner and responsible party for its USDA Foods, even when the school has contracted with a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) or other third party. School food service professionals should be involved with all aspects of the USDA Foods process.
- FSMCs must credit the Recipient Agency (RA) for the value of all USDA Foods received for use in the RA’s meal service in a school year. This includes crediting for value of USDA Foods in processed end products, entitlement and bonus products.
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2020 State of Indiana Holidays
Columbus Day, Monday, October 12
General Election Day, Tuesday, November 3
Veteran's Day, Wednesday, November 11
Thanksgiving Holiday, Thursday and Friday, November 26-27
Christmas Holiday, Thursday and Friday, December 24-25
**State Offices are closed in observance of the above holidays.
For the full list of state holidays click here.
USDA FOODS Resources
Questions?
Contact Us
Cheryl Moore, FDP Specialist (Brown Box, Annual Pre-Order Survey, SFSP USDA Foods, USDA DoD Fresh Program)
Email: cmoore@doe.in.gov
Phone: 317-234-2516
Linda Smith, FDP Specialist (Raw/Bulk Products/Pounds)
Email: lrsmith@doe.in.gov
Phone: 317-232-0859