FNS Documents & Resources

On March 26, 2013, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act 2013 was signed into law, which provides $49.401 million for TEFAP administrative funding through Sept. 30, 2013.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service policy memo SP 26-2013, "Extending Flexibility in the Meat/Meat Alternate and Grains Maximums for School Year 2013-14" extends the flexibility regarding Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) maximums for SY 2013-13, allowing state agencies to assess compliance based on the minimum daily and weekly serving requirements only.  

State agencies must exercise diligence to ensure that TEFAP food inventories are managed effectively, efficiently, and without waste. The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide state agencies with the direction and guidance necessary in maintaining proper inventory levels of USDA Foods for TEFAP, including the estimation of monthly utilization rates for new or bonus USDA Foods for which there are no historical usage records.

Three pieces of legislation currently govern the level of food and administrative resources available to TEFAP in FY 2013: the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008; the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983; and the Continuing Appropriations Resolution 2013 which provides funding in FY 2013 at a pro rata share of the FY 2012 funding level through March 27, 2013.

In November 2005, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued Policy Memorandum FD-049 to assist school food authorities (SFAs) in providing healthier options and a wider variety of cheese products for students. The policy memorandum permits processors to substitute cheese donated by the Department of Agriculture (i.e., USDA cheese) with other varieties of cheese produced for the commercial market.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to clarify a state distributing agency's (SDA) responsibilities regarding (1) the approval of end products for processing; and (2) monitoring of sales of such end products to school food authorities (SF A) in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) by reviewing a processor's monthly performance report.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide direction and guidance to SDAs in order to ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, and to make certain that all SFAs receive their planned assistance level and maximize their use of USDA Foods to meet the nutrition standards in the NSLP.

Policy Memorandum FD-126 provides clarification on 7 CFR 251.10(e)(2)(i). This memorandum outlines the method state agencies should use to monitor eligible recipient agencies' expenditures of TEFAP administrative funds.  

This form is used to report Racial/Ethnic Group Participation in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program as outlined in FNS Instruction 113-1. 

In accordance with 7 CFR 250.30(1), a processor may. in most cases, substitute Department of Agriculture (USDA) donated foods with commercially purchased foods of U.S. origin, and of equal or better quality in all USDA purchase specifications than the donated food. The substitution option permits processors to conduct their business efficiently and provide finished end products to school food authorities (SFAs) and other recipient agencies in a timely manner.