FNS hosted a webinar to provide state agencies and food banks with information about how TEFAP can support cultural and religious practices around food, particularly those serving kosher and halal observant communities. The webinar featured panelists from state agencies and food banks who have successfully implemented processes to serve these specific communities.
FNS hosted a second webinar to provide program stakeholders with additional information on supporting kosher observant communities through TEFAP.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023.
FNS monitors complaints about USDA Foods and coordinates the resolution of potential health hazards with the FNS Office of Food Safety for states, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), and recipient agencies participating in any of the food distribution programs.
The list contains the contact information for each state administering the unprocessed fruit and vegetable pilot, as well as the main USDA contacts.
This webinar is Part 3 of our webinar series “Demystifying USDA Food Complaints.” It focuses on results and resolution in the USDA Foods complaint process for USDA Foods in schools. The USDA Foods Complaint Team, as represented by Tony Wilkins, presents different scenarios as USDA Foods are transported from the vendor to their final destination, school kitchens. The intended audience is individuals involved with the National School Lunch Program: SFAs and all distributing agencies and recipient agencies, including SDAs as well as schools and warehouses.
In this webinar focused on the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Tony Wilkins and Matthew Martin from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Food Distribution Division, discuss warehousing, explain the USDA Foods feedback process, and provide instructions on how to formally enter a complaint into the Web-Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCM).
In this webinar for state distributing agencies and recipient agencies, Tony Wilkins of the Food Distribution Division reviews best practices for using WBSCM in resolving complaints, provides analysis of USDA Foods complaint trends, shares 2016 complaint successes, and discusses what’s in the complaint pipeline.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides nutrition assistance to Tribal communities through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). The last nationally representative study of FDPIR was based on 1989 data. Since that time, there have been many changes in FDPIR affecting eligibility, warehouse operations and distribution, customer service, and improvements in the types and variety of products offered in the food package. This report provides an update of FDPIR participant characteristics and program operations, based on a nationally representative sample of participants and sites.
Andre Orange and Tony Wilkins of the FNS Food Distribution Division share real-life examples of USDA Foods complaints as they provide helpful tips on how to handle and prevent these scenarios.