U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Opportunity – Deadline January 20  

Due to COVID-19, School Food Authorities (SFAs) have had difficulty using products typically used in food nutrition programs. As a result, inventory levels at processors are higher than normal and USDA has canceled processor trucks all over the nation. Over 70 processor trucks were canceled in Minnesota for School Year (SY) 2020-21. See the list of canceled trucks at the end of this message.  

USDA has returned entitlement to Minnesota from the cancellations. Since it is late in the school year, the only option is to offer schools who experienced canceled trucks an opportunity to participate in the DoD Fresh Program. Schools impacted by processor truck cancellations will see the change reflected in their entitlement balance in the Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS) 2 ordering system.   

DoD Special Store  

The DoD Fresh store will be open in CLiCS 2 on January 11, 2021 and will close on January 20, 2021. For schools already participating in DoD, the amount entered in the special January store will be added to the original DoD allocation for SY 2020-21. Schools new to DoD must have an established Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) account. After the store closes, MDE will process the amounts and update the FFAVORS accounts. Please commit only the dollars your school can use between February and June 2021. Entitlement, including DoD funds, does not roll over to the next program year. There is a minimum requirement of $300 when participating in the DoD Fresh Program.  

Normal Operations 

All accounts will be reviewed in April for usage, and recovery adjustments will be made if necessary. Please monitor your K12 and Processor Link accounts as well as your CLiCS 2 Monitor Food Movement screen for updates. Continue to use your Net Off Invoice (NOI) and Fee-for-Service (FFS) pounds. Banked pounds will be reviewed for low usage and possible reallocation in January 2021.