The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program for Children , Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Seamless Summer Option , of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in program meals.
This memorandum clarifies how school food authorities may use funds provided under Sections 4 and 11 or 19 of the National School Lunch Act to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program vendors.
The purpose of this proposed rule is to incorporate this procurement option in the programs' regulations and to define the term "unprocessed locally grown or locally raised agricultural products'' to ensure that both the intent of Congress in providing for such a procurement option is met and that any such definition will facilitate ease of implementation for institutions participating in the child nutrition programs.
The purpose of this memorandum is to update the definition of what is considered “unprocessed” for the purposes of applying the optional geographic preference for procurement in the child nutrition programs.
This memorandum updates and revises memoranda SP30-2008: Applying Geographic Preferences in Procurements for the Child Nutrition Programs, SP08-2009: Procurement Questions, and SP28-2009: Procurement Questions, regarding school food authorities’ and other institutions’ application of a geographic preference in procurements for the child nutrition programs.
This memorandum is intended to provide clarification of what is allowable, for contracts executed both prior to and after publication of the final rule.
Evaluation of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program: Report to Congress. By Jean C. Buzby, Joanne F. Guthrie, and Linda S. Kantor. Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA.