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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    USDA Foods in Schools and Child Nutrition Programs

    This program provides high-quality, 100% American grown food, to schools, child-care facilities, and institutions that participate in USDA child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). USDA Foods add versatile, budget-friendly options for schools and institutions to provide Pennsylvania children with appealing, healthy meals

    USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) work together to purchase and provide USDA Foods in the quantities and varieties requested by schools to help them provide nutritious meals. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture receives USDA Foods from USDA-approved vendors and helps to distribute them to Pennsylvania Department of Education-approved schools and child nutrition program providers throughout the state.

    Listed below are descriptions of the types of USDA Foods available:

    • Direct Delivery: USDA purchases nutritious, domestically produced food products, ranging from ingredients to finished end products, which can be used in preparing school meals.
    • Bulk Ingredients for Further Processing: States can also request that USDA Foods in bulk form (e.g. chicken, apples, and sweet potatoes) be sent to a commercial manufacturer to be made into a variety of end products. Over 40 percent of USDA Foods, representing more than 30 different raw materials, are diverted for further processing.
    • USDA Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh): USDA DoD Fresh allows schools to use USDA Foods entitlement dollars to buy fresh produce through a partnership between the USDA and the DoD Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), as well as the state distributing agencies in each participating state.

    Questions on this program should be directed to the program contact or by calling 800-468-2433, or emailing at RA-fooddist@pa.gov.

     

    Regional Field Staff & County Assignment Map​