FNS Documents & Resources

This memorandum clarifies how school food authorities may use funds provided under Sections 4 and 11 or 19 of the National School Lunch Act to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program vendors.

In an effort to simplify procurement requirements for SFSP sponsors, this memorandum links existing procurement and contract thresholds referenced in the program regulations to the federal small purchase threshold currently set at $150,000.

This memo clarifies the small purchase threshold applicable to procurements under FNS programs.

The purpose of this memorandum is to address recent inquiries on the application of the geographic preference option in the procurement of unprocessed locally grown or raised agricultural products.

Following the Jan. 26, 2012, issuance of the final rule titled Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, several questions have been raised regarding its effect on current contracts between school food authorities and food service management companies.

In this policy memorandum, we clarify that the SFA may, in some cases, include bids for procurement of end products in its solicitation for procurement of commercial food products from commercial distributors, rather than conduct two separate solicitations. 

The attached memorandum is Food Distribution Policy Memo FD-110, which clarifies requirements in crediting for, and use of, USDA donated foods in contracts with food service management companies, and provides guidance to ensure compliance with such requirements in the first and final years of such contracts.

The purpose of this memorandum is to update the definition of what is considered “unprocessed” for the purposes of applying the optional geographic preference for procurement in the child nutrition programs.

Please be aware that the procurement questions from July 22, 2009 have been revised. This new set of procurement questions supersedes the previous set, as a change has been made to the second Q&A under “Local Purchasing."

This memorandum updates and revises memoranda SP30-2008: Applying Geographic Preferences in Procurements for the Child Nutrition Programs, SP08-2009: Procurement Questions, and SP28-2009: Procurement Questions, regarding school food authorities’ and other institutions’ application of a geographic preference in procurements for the child nutrition programs.