This policy memorandum provides clarification to WIC state agencies on the initial authorization of vendors that derive more than 50 percent of their annual food sales revenue from WIC (above-50-percent or A50 vendors) as well as information on the requirements for A50 vendors following authorization.
Recently, FNS has received a number of questions related to buying local meat, poultry, game, and eggs; this memorandum seeks to clarify the regulatory requirements related to food safety and answer specific questions related to these products with a series of questions and answers.
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.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided USDA with $390 million, available through FY 2024, to carry out outreach, innovation, and program modernization efforts to increase participation and redemption of benefits for both the WIC program and the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
In keeping with ongoing efforts to increase the number of small and underserved businesses participating in the USDA food procurement program, as well as increasing access to culturally appropriate foods, AMS is seeking public input on perceived barriers that small businesses, those owned by underserved businesses, and providers of organic, kosher and halal agricultural products face in working with AMS' Commodity Procurement Program.
FNS is allowing WIC agencies to waive conducting compliance investigations of a minimum of five percent of the number of vendors authorized.
FNS is allowing state agencies to postpone some vendor reauthorization actions by extending expiring vendor agreements by one year.
FNS is removing the requirement for onsite preauthorization visits and allowing these visits to be done onsite after the public health emergency and applicable state and local social distancing orders are lifted.
FNS is waiving minimum requirement for routine vendor monitoring requirements.
The previous version of this memorandum contained incorrect references to state agencies throughout. FNS is correcting this memorandum to remove the incorrect references and so that it more clearly and accurately reflects the federal regulations. This memorandum notifies state agencies and child nutrition program operators of the changes made by OMB to the federal informal procurement method, micro-purchases and the micro-purchase threshold.