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Resource | Policy Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit”

This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.

07/10/2025
Resource | Policy FD-152: Discontinuance of the High Security Seal Requirement for USDA Foods Deliveries

This general USDA Foods guidance explains that the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023. 

04/05/2023
Resource | Policy USDA Foods Program Disaster Manual

This USDA Foods in disasters guidance manual contains important information for persons in FNS headquarters, FNS regional offices, and distributing agencies, which include state distributing agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations that are charged with the responsibility of providing USDA Foods to disaster relief organizations in the event of a disaster, emergency, or situation of distress.

06/03/2021
Resource | Policy Instruction 709-5: Shipment and Receipt of USDA Foods

This instruction establishes the general USDA Foods guidance for standards and procedures that the state distributing agency, Indian Tribal Organization, or other consignee must follow in receiving shipments of USDA Foods, and conveys established responsibilities for other entities such as USDA Foods vendors and carriers.

03/13/2019
Resource | Policy Donated Food Storage, Distribution, and Product Dating

This general USDA Foods guidance memorandum is meant to provide clarification and guidance on policies and procedures for donated food storage and distribution as they relate to product dating.

11/21/2017
Resource | Policy Value of USDA Donated Foods for Audits: Revised

The purpose of this audit guidance policy memorandum is to clarify the options available to state distributing agencies or recipient agencies in assigning value to USDA donated foods for audit purposes.

12/02/2016
Resource | Policy Memos Electronic Receipting for USDA Direct and Multi-Food Shipments (Revised)

The purpose of this memorandum is to advise you of a new and revised requirement for all Receiving Organizations (i.e., organizations that receive shipments of Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods, including Distributing Agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO), recipient agencies, processors, and warehouses). This memorandum replaces the previous FD-062 dated April 25, 2011 , and adjusts the maximum timeframe for entering shipment receipts in the Web-Based Supply Chain Management System.

09/04/2013
Resource | Policy Continuation of USDA Food Assistance During a Human Pandemic (Revised)

This USDA Foods in disasters guidance policy memorandum is the result of activities undertaken to plan a government-wide response to a potential human pandemic and addresses the operation of its USDA food programs during a major pandemic event. 

08/31/2009
Resource | Policy Reimbursement of Intra-State Transportation Costs During Disasters

This USDA Foods in disasters guidance provides information for programs during a Presidentially declared disaster/emergency, or during a situation of distress declared by a state or FNS.  The state may find it necessary to transport USDA Foods from one area within the state to another in support of disaster feeding efforts.  These intra-state transportation costs will be reimbursed by FNS during a Presidentially declared disaster/emergency, and reimbursed by FNS to the extent funds are available during situations of distress.  

04/21/2009
Resource | Policy Annual Physical Inventory-Reconciliation of Book Inventory to Physical Inventory

This general USDA Foods guidance memorandum provides instructions on how to reconcile the physical inventory conducted at a distributing agency- or subdistributing agency-level storage facility with the book inventory required to be maintained for that facility.

06/15/2006
Page updated: October 14, 2021