Department of Defense (DoD Fresh) Program 

As communicated in previous bulletins, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and DoD vendor, H.Brooks & Company, to resolve catalog and quality issues experienced this year.  

MDE was notified on April 9 that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and USDA arranged for AJ Wholesale Produce out of Sheboygan, WI, to provide USDA DoD Fresh deliveries to Minnesota schools beginning the week of April 19. Although deliveries will not start until April 19, schools may begin to place orders in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) the week of April 12.  In preparation for this transition, orders requested for delivery the week of April 12 – April 16 may be partially filled or cancelled completely. Sponsors will not be charged for cancelled orders.

AJ Wholesale is the USDA DoD Fresh produce vendor for Wisconsin and Upper Michigan schools and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs). AJ Wholesale will provide service while DLA puts a new contract in place for Minnesota. 

On behalf of the USDA and MDE, we apologize for the delivery issues, lack of produce availability and poor communication experienced with H. Brooks. We appreciate your patience as we work with DLA to resolve these issues.