The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods for Schools ordering process for School Year 2023-2024 (SY 23-24) has officially begun. It is now time to create your next school year's entitlement plan by allocating entitlement to three (3) different spend areas and selecting the food you will use in your menus.
The USDA Foods Ordering & Commitment Forms for SY 23-24 are now posted on the online Security Portal. The orders and commitment forms can be found under the menu option "USDA Food Orders." Then, select "Entitlement Plan" where you will find the orders and commitment forms. A drop-down menu is available for you to view previous school year's entitlement plans and activity. On the Fiscal Year 2024 page you will find your estimated entitlement amount for the upcoming school year and three components correlating with the three (3) spend areas:
Brown Box Order Processing Commitment DoD Fresh Commitment
All orders are due by close of business (4:59pm) Friday, March 17, 2023. Please remember to "SAVE" and "SUBMIT" your orders.
The Nuts and Bolts of School Nutrition Programs Continuation Series live webinar USDA Foods 2023-2024 Food Ordering: Insider Tips and Tricks for Completing Your Orders is scheduled for Tuesday February 21, 2023, at 2 pm. Plan on attending to gain valuable information on the ordering process.
Below are brief highlights for each survey for SY 23-24:
The Brown Box Order contains the most popular, readily available products resulting from the Brown Box Survey completed earlier this year. All products ordered must be scheduled for delivery once they arrive at the warehouse next school year. Emphasis has been added regarding delivery dates to the state contracted warehouses. Food must be delivered to the warehouses before it can be allocated or included on a monthly offer sheet. Smaller pack sizes are included as well as several new products. The order includes total case counts by item and delivery period. The Brown Box Order must be filled out and submitted by the due date to receive Brown Box food next school year.
Links to helpful resources to assist with your processing decision making are available on the online Security Portal under "Tools to Use for Processing." Click on items underlined in blue for further information. Information is available regarding how many pounds make up a full truck as well as Summary End Product Data Schedules (SEPDS) for each company. All of this information has been updated and can be found above the actual survey on the online Security Portal.
All unused pounds from SY 22-23 will be swept on June 30, 2023. The swept pounds will go into the state account, and we will apply them towards demand for SY 23-24. Do not factor in carry over pounds when diverting for SY 23-24.
Eligibility criteria for SY 23-24:
Minimum amount to commit to DoD is $150.
Maximum amount to commit is 50% of total entitlement.
Minimum order $150 per delivery location per the vendor's minimum drop requirement.
Delivery up to four (4) sites within a school district.
Program starts July 1, 2023 and ends June 30, 2024.
Please reach out to the following staff for questions regarding the ordering process.
Brown Box Order Ahmed Bilimoria
Processing /Diversion Commitment Belinda Wilson
DoD Fresh Commitment Rick Finnigan
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
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