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.
Currently, both FDPIR and CSFP are experiencing food delivery delays, which are impacting inventory levels at participating locations. In the FDPIR program especially, USDA recognizes this is a significant disruption that has left locations without acceptable inventories of necessary food items. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking a number of steps to address the delays in the short term and developing a longer term and permanent plan to ensure a steady and reliable supply.
USDA Response
The USDA is taking an all-hands approach to address significant delays in the delivery of USDA Foods from the contracted national multi-food warehouse to FDIPR and CSFP sites. While we work to resume regular, on-time deliveries, USDA is offering four short-term options to help participating communities access the supplemental food they need 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 is working to expand 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 is encouraging 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is this happening?
The delays stem from supply chain disruptions happening at contracted warehouses that store and ship trucks of food to program locations. As a result, the delays are impacting inventory levels at CSFP and FDPIR sites and, as a result, the availability of a sufficient variety and quantity of food resources for program participants. USDA recognizes this is a significant disruption in the FDPIR program especially that has left locations without acceptable inventories of necessary food items and is activating steps to address the delays in the short term and developing a longer term and permanent plan to ensure a steady and reliable supply.
- How long will it take for normal operations to resume?
USDA is taking a phased approach to provide immediate relief, while also working with the contractor to resolve the delays and return to accurate and on time deliveries to FDPIR and CSFP sites. This is a very dynamic situation, and one USDA takes very seriously. We have already begun efforts to target food shipments to the communities with highest need, and we have activated four short-term options (described above) to provide additional food to affected program participants. We will continue to work with communities, the contractor and additional partners for as long as we need to in order to ensure participants get the supplemental food they depend on.
- 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?
As of Sept. 9, 20 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. FNS continues to encourage state agencies to consider submitting a TEFAP situation of distress request in order to purchase and provide additional foods to ITOs and CSFP operators. Additional TEFAP state agencies have expressed to USDA they are interested in supporting CSFP and FDPIR under this option and USDA will update this website as more TEFAP state agencies opt in.
For interested commissioners and interested TEFAP state agencies, please refer to the letter and complete the TEFAP State Agency Request Template for Household Feeding or submit the information in a similar format as soon as possible.
- I place food orders for my FDPIR or CSFP site. What should I know about previously placed orders or placing new orders?
FDPIR administering agencies should refer to this guidance, and CSFP state agencies and local program operators should refer to this guidance.