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FDPIR and CSFP Supply Chain Disruptions

Background

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or FDPIR, provides food to approximately 53,000 income-eligible households on tribal reservations and Native American households in approved areas near reservations. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP, provides food to about 720,000 income-eligible people aged 60 and older across the country. These supplemental programs provide American-grown and produced foods and nutrition education that help reduce food insecurity and support nutritious diets.

Over the last several months, USDA has continued its efforts to diligently and thoroughly resolve the food delivery delays from the contracted national warehouse that have impacted inventory levels at FDPIR and CSFP locations, and the communities that participate in the programs.

USDA Response

USDA has taken a variety of short-, medium-, and long-term actions to resume regular, on-time deliveries and support a strong and resilient food delivery system for FDPIR and CSFP. Program inventory levels have improved over the course of USDA’s response, and as of Oct. 28, deliveries from the contractors are occurring on regularly scheduled delivery dates. USDA will be closely monitoring the status of deliveries to ensure our continued commitment to on-time service. We also continue to work on other measures to ensure that deliveries are accurate and of high quality.

If communities still need supplemental food to fill gaps in their inventory and serve participants, USDA continues to offer four short-term options to help them access that food as quickly as possible. These options include:

  • Providing Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to FDPIR and CSFP agencies: USDA is offering at least $11 million to help FDPIR agencies buy food (see Q&A for more information). USDA is also making available up to $36 million to CSFP state agencies to buy food ((see Q&A for more information). The funds distributed to each agency will be based on the number of participants the agency serves. The funding may only be used to purchase domestically grown and produced foods.
  • Temporarily expanding the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh): Through a partnership with the DoD Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), USDA has temporarily expanded USDA DoD Fresh to include food items such as meats, grains, and dairy for distribution to a limited number of FDPIR sites experiencing severe inventory shortages.
  • Activating the Emergency Feeding Network with Situations of Distress: USDA has approved 20 state agencies that operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, to work with local partners such as food banks to distribute food to FDPIR and CSFP sites.
  • Leveraging the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA): Local Food Purchase Assistance, or LFPA, agreements allow state and tribal governments to procure and distribute regional foods that are unique to their geographic areas and dietary needs and preferences. Some Tribes served by FDPIR agencies, plus some states that administer CSFP, have cooperative agreements with USDA under the LFPA, and they can use LFPA funds to purchase food to address immediate needs while USDA works to resolve the delays.

USDA is also taking medium- and long-term actions to support a strong and resilient food delivery system for FDPIR and CSFP. These actions include:

  • Two additional warehouses now delivering orders: Under USDA’s emergency contract with Americold, deliveries have started to select FDPIR and CSFP sites from Americold warehouses in Syracuse, N.Y., and North Little Rock, Ark. In total, once both Americold warehouses are fully up and running, about one-third of the 400 locations previously served by the single warehouse contract will be served by this emergency contract. The addition of these two warehouses has supported the goal of returning to on-time deliveries and allowed further focus on accuracy and quality, so that program recipients are receiving the food they need and deserve .
  • Revising USDA’s approach to warehousing and delivery services to enhance resiliency: On Oct. 4, USDA released a Request for Information, or RFI, to gather feedback and questions in support of a longer-term solution for the storage and distribution of foods for FDPIR and CSFP. This RFI will inform the requirements for an eventual solicitation of proposals for the next contract. Program partners and other interested parties were invited to respond to the RFI by Nov. 4 with ideas or suggestions to strengthen USDA’s service to FDPIR and CSFP and overall supply chain resilience and to improve the customer experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did this happen?

The delays stemmed from supply chain disruptions at a contracted national warehouse that stores and ships trucks of food to program locations. As a result, the delays impacted inventory levels at CSFP and FDPIR sites and the availability of a sufficient variety and quantity of food resources for program participants.

When will normal operations resume?

USDA implemented an emergency contract to provide additional receiving, storage, and distribution services of USDA Foods to select FDPIR and CSFP agencies in the short-term. USDA has worked with the contracted warehouses to return to on-time deliveries. As of Oct. 28, deliveries from the contractors are occurring on regularly scheduled delivery dates.

Is a Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement available in my area?

LFPA is available in all states and around 35% of FDPIR tribes. Those states and tribes with signed cooperative agreements may begin to purchase food and serve immediate needs of FDPIR and CSFP participants. States and tribes can reach out to their vendors and arrange for food deliveries on the schedule that best works for them. There are several tribes that USDA is still working with to finalize their awards. USDA stands ready to work with tribes one on one to help them stand up their programs.

For more detailed information on using LFPA purchases to assist with delays of CSFP and FDPIR foods, please view this recorded webinar.

I’m an FDPIR administering agency and I have questions about my program or concerns with my inventory. Who should I contact?

Please contact USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations at Tribal.Relations@usda.gov. The team is closely monitoring the mailbox and turning around answers as quickly as possible.

I’m a CSFP state agency or local program operator and I have questions about my program or concerns with my inventory. Who should I contact?

For CSFP state agencies, please contact your FNS regional office; for CSFP local agencies, please contact your state agency.

Is the TEFAP situation of distress option activated in my area?

Twenty states have been approved (AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, ME, NC, NE, NM, OK, OR, RI, TN, VA, WI) under the TEFAP situation of distress option to serve Tribes and/or CSFP state agencies in need. Please refer to the letter and TEFAP State Agency Request Template for Household Feeding for background on the TEFAP situations of distress supporting this response.

I place food orders for my FDPIR or CSFP site. What should I know about placing orders?

USDA encourages program operators to place orders as needed to meet current inventory needs. Program operators may place orders beginning 31 business days prior to the requested delivery date and up until 10 business days prior. For offshore locations (AK, HI and PR), orders may be entered beginning 64 business days prior to the requested delivery date and up until 31 business days prior. If you have any questions about placing an order for your site, contact your FNS regional office.

Technical Assistance for Program Operators

Page updated: November 12, 2024