The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods for Schools ordering process for School Year 2024-2025 (SY 24-25) 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 24-25 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 2025 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 15, 2024. Please remember to "SAVE" and "SUBMIT" your orders.
Review Webinars. USDA Foods or Nuts & Bolts USDA Foods 101
Below are brief highlights for each survey for SY 24-25:
The Brown Box Order contains the most popular, readily available products resulting from the Brown Box Preference Survey completed earlier this year. All products ordered must be scheduled for delivery within 30-days of arriving at the state contracted warehouses next school year. Emphasis has been added regarding delivery dates to the warehouses. Food must be delivered to the warehouses before it can be allocated to individual RA accounts. 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. To determine how many pounds needed to allocate, refer to the processor's commodity calculators. All of this information has been updated and can be found above the actual commitment form on the online Security Portal.
All unused pounds from SY 23-24 will be swept on June 30, 2024. The swept pounds will go into the state account, and we will apply them towards demand for SY 24-25. Do not factor in carry over pounds when diverting for SY 24-25.
Eligibility criteria for SY 24-25:
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, 2024 and ends June 30, 2025.
Please reach out to the following staff for questions regarding the ordering process.
Brown Box Order Form Ahmed Bilimoria
Processing /Diversion Commitment Form Belinda Wilson
DoD Fresh Commitment Form Rick Finnigan
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.