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Nutrition, Health and Safety

Food Distribution

04/28/2008	Turkey Processing Program
	NOTICES ARCHIVES

Monthly Commodity Update: 04/01/08 April 2008 04/01/08 March 2008 04/01/08 February 2008 01/03/08 January 2008 Commodity Update Archive

Introduction

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Distribution Program is a multi-purpose program designed to improve the nutritional quality of the diets of children and needy adults. In addition, it supports agriculture through price support and surplus removal programs. The Massachusetts Department of Education is the statewide distributing agency that orders food from the USDA and arranges for the receipt, storage and distribution to schools, child care centers, elderly programs, soup kitchens, and food pantries.

The Food Distribution Program is authorized by the U. S. Congress through several pieces of legislation. The primary pieces of legislation which enable the various commodities to be provided to schools, child care centers and the elderly are:

• Section 6 of the National School Lunch Act (NSLP), which mandates a per-meal commodity assistance rate for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP);
• Section 32 of the Agricultural Act of 1935, which authorized the purchase and distribution perishable commodities in order to remove surpluses and stabilize farm prices; and
• Section 416 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 which authorizes the purchase and distribution of commodities for the purpose of supporting farm prices.

Available Commodities

USDA allocates foods to each state based on their entitlement. The entitlement dollars are based on the number of lunches served during the previous year (July 1-June 30) times the mandated rate of assistance. For FY1998 the rate was $.15 per lunch. In turn, Massachusetts prorates each school system’s entitlement based on the same formula, i.e., the number of lunches served in the previous year times the entitlement rate. All foods are offered or made available on a use without waste basis.

Entitlement and bonus foods are divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A foods are purchased through various divisions of the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) to remove surplus farm products and also to meet the nutritional needs of the food program recipients. Purchases are made seasonally rather that continuously. Group A foods include fruits, vegetables, meats and poultry. Occasionally, Group A foods are offered as a limited bonus.

Group B foods are purchased through price support authority by USDA’s Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) and are available on a year round basis.

Details on Commodities

The Commodities that USDA donates may vary from time to time depending on what food products are available. Because of the nutritional needs of participants in programs such as NSLP, USDA purchases and makes certain types of commodities available to them. Commodities generally available for the NSLP include frozen and canned meat and poultry; canned, fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and juices; cereals and grains; vegetable oil and shortening; and peanut products.

USDA has been increasing the types of commodities available for donation. Today more than 50 different commodities are donated for distribution to the various food assistance programs.

All commodities that USDA purchases must be certified by the USDA’s inspection services to assure they meet established specifications. Only high grades of meat, fruits and vegetables are accepted. Specifications for the quality of the commodities purchased are constantly updated.

Recently revised specifications have reduced the fat, sugar and salt contents of foods purchased. For example, USDA is buying unsalted peanuts, meats with less salt, ground beef and cheeses with lower fat content, and fruits in light syrup. Updated specifications also improve the cooking quality of the commodities purchased.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education distributes household size USDA donated fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats and grains through a statewide network of food banks and local food pantries and congregate feeding sites that service a 75% needy population.

Food Distribution Resources

USDA Food Distribution Home Page

American Commodity Distribution Association

For more information regarding The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Food Distribution Programs, please contact Martha Herlihy at (781) 338-6473

For further details on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Distribution Programs, visit http://www.usda.gov/fcs/food.htm