2017 National

Conference

D E N V E R , C O L O R A D O

A P R I L 2 3 - 2 6

W W W . C O M M O D I T Y F O O D S . O R G

Using USDA Foods & Local FoodsTogether

Overview of District

Rural District #1 income for region FARMING= Chickens & Crops FNS Department Budget $3,053,000Student Population 5400FARMS 54%ADP 3600breakfast & lunch % 68% or higher

Overview (continued)

•9 cafeterias•12 schools•Breakfast in classroom in all schools (MMFA)•Offered vs Served•Staff of 54

USDA Foods Allocation

• Beginning Balance $200,000

• DOD allocation $66,000

• Direct $58,000

• Processed $76,000

Fruits & Veggies Purchase 2015-2016• DOD $66k

• USDA Foods-canned and frozen fruits & veggies $43k

• Local Produce Company $120K• In the bid must buy local first

• Local for District- Mid Atlantic Region

• Produce purchase direct from local Farms $19 k• Strawberries, asparagus, corn, sweet potatoes, apples, squash

• TOTAL $248,000

HHFKA RegulationsEffect on Purchasing

• ½ cup of fruit or veggies must be taken by the students for breakfast and lunch

• One cup must be offered

• Significant increase on produce purchasing

• How do we cut down on waste?• Offer a variety of fruits and veggies

• This only made possible by having USDA Foods to offset commercial purchases

Promoting Fruits & Veggies

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USDA Recipe & Product

Beef Stir FryUSDA Broccoli (Direct) &Wafer Steak (processed),

sliced apples(DOD), Lewes Farms Milk (local)

Other Local Foods Served

• taco

• Out of budget range for monthly use• Offer once or twice a school year

• Bison Burgers• Crabmeat• Local Hot Dogs• Sausage

• Assisting farmers and food based entrepreneurs with added value products

• Central Information needed

• Labeling, Marketing and Distribution of product (Mid Shore Entrepreneurial Center)

• Recipe design with chef/ preservation specialist

• Business set up-business plan, cash flow (Maryland Small Business Development)

• Health Department permitting/ HCCAP Plan

• Kitchen space/ Processing centers

Processing of Local Foods

• Farmers are producing when we are not in school• Internal processing of local foods during the summer

• Grant funding for vacuum sealers, chill blaster, dehydrator and other processing equipment

• Keeps staff employed during the summer• Internships for culinary arts students• Training of special needs students• Helps our local farmers with movement of seconds

Competing FARM to tray at MDSNA

Watermelon Gazpacho

School Partners

Worked with Career and Technology

agriculture and culinary arts class.

The ag class raised livestock;

school purchased and had processed;

gave to culinary arts students to create

a recipe and conduct a taste testing

with students.

Community ProjectThe Culinary Arts Center

• taco

• Shared use facility• Career & technology culinary students• Shore Gourmet Market-selling of local

product and quick serve trainingfor culinary arts students

• Commercial Kitchen Incubator• Processing of local produce • Catering-on and off premise

School House Culinary Arts Center

• Original High School for the county• Built in 1901• 10 years for reconstruction• 20 years vacant• Lead paint, asbestos etc• Multiple funding sources

USDA RBEG was the final grantto complete interior

Pastry Kitchen

Training Kitchen

Training Kitchen

Restaurant Kitchen

Library/ Conference Room

Restaurant/ Meeting Room

Shore Gourmet Market

Locally made breads with local grains

Local Farmer Fermenting their Produce

Partner County Library-Cook Books

Non Profit Partner

Mission: Job training in the culinary arts and economic development in the region.

• Started the culinary arts program at the high school

• Kids camps and afterschool programs

• Adult education classes-boot camp

• Community classes

Culinary Arts Students Return to Community

Cooking Matters/ Store Tour

The Dinner Party-After School Program

The Dinner Party-After School Program

State Support of Project

“This type of collaborative project is what the state should be spending their money on.”

~ Peter Franchot Maryland State Comptroller

Q & A

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USDA Foods: Supporting Vermont Agriculture

• Vermont Schools spend approximately 4% of their USDA Foods Funds directly on Vermont products through purchases of USDA Foods Yogurt and DoD Fresh Produce

• By maximizing our USDA Foods entitlement, Vermont schools have more room in their budgets to purchase local products

Three Strategies for Using USDAFoods to Buy Local

•Order USDA Foods that are usually sourced from your region• Find out what USDA Foods are already local, and label them

•Put funds into DoD Fresh and select local items from the DoD Catalog

• Select USDA Foods items that offer the best “bang for buck” to make more room in your budget to purchase higher-priced local items

Finding USDA Foods From Your Region

Find information on USDA Foods approved vendors and State of Origin information for prior years at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/food-purchase-resources

Finding State of Origin for aSpecific Delivery

• If Schools/RAs have WBSCM access, they receive these automated emails when product is shipped to the state

• State Agencies also receive these emails and can share the information with Schools/RAs

Using DoD Fresh to Buy Local

• Look for “Local” or State of Origin Tag in FFAVORS

• Request that DoD add items that you know are available in-season in your state • (If possible, request local items that you know the vendor is currently

carrying for commercial customers)

• State Agencies can request DoD add items• Schools should make request to State Agency

• Use Usage Reports in FFAVORS to see local purchasing history

Maximizing USDA Foods to Make Room for Local

A template for a similar worksheet – the USDA Foods Cost Analysis Tool - is available at:

https://www.fns.usda.gov/usda-foods/usda-foods-toolkit-child-nutrition-programs

Remembering that USDA Foods Have Value

USDA Foods value makes up a significant amount of the funds you can spend on each plate

Failing to use your USDA Foods leaves money on the table that you could use for local foods

Below: School Lunch at Rivendell AcademyUSDA Foods Pork Roast, USDA Foods Peas, Local Squash, Local Apples (apple crisp), DoD Fresh Strawberries

Above: School Lunch (Salad Bar Option) at Brewster Peirce School,Huntington, VT

Finding Recipes that Utilize USDA Foods and Local Foods

Vermont New School Cuisinehttps://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/hsmrs/Vermont/EDU-New_School_Cuisine_Cookbook.pdf

Idaho Chef Designed School Meals:https://sde.idaho.gov/cnp/shared/Chef-Designed-School-Lunch.pdf

https://sde.idaho.gov/cnp/shared/Chef-Designed-Breakfast-Book.pdf

Tips for State Agencies

• Work with DoD Fresh Distributor to find out what local produce they already carry commercially – request those items from DoD

• Keep an eye on WBSCM shipping notifications and notify schools when product comes from a local or regional plant

• Find out what USDA Foods are usually purchased from your region and make the extra effort to get those items (split trucks, order up, etc.)

Left: Salad Bar at Twin Valley Elementary,Wilmington, VT, featuring USDA Foods Shredded Cheese, USDA Foods Garbanzo Beans, Local Squash and Local Carrots

www.facebook.com/commodityfoods.org