USDA Foods from Farm to Plate: FDPIR Connection, July 2017

USDA Foods - FDPIR Connection

Conference Clips

NAFDPIR: 30 Years and Counting!

The National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (NAFDPIR) hosted its 30th Annual Conference this year in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference, themed Honoring the Past, Treasuring the Present, Shaping the Future, brought together Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) staff from across the country during the week of June 11, 2017. USDA staff also attended and participated in panel discussions and presentations focused on the FDPIR food package, FDPIR program updates, and FDPIR technology systems. The conference also featured a Nutrition Fair with nutrition educators from a wide range of organizations displaying their resources including nutrition kits, cooking recipes, starter seeds, and nutrition-related materials, including a new nutrition brochure for FDPIR! Members of NAFDPIR also hosted an election this year and elected Mr. Tod Robertson from Seminole Nation as President of the NAFDPIR Board. Congratulations, Tod!

NAFDPIR 2017 Food Package Open Forum
USDA staff Barbara Lopez, Julie Skolmowski, Janice Fitzgerald, and Lindsay Williams provide updates on the FDPIR food package, nutrition education, and communications projects at the NAFDPIR 2017 Food Package Open Forum.

FDPIR Training Continues in the Southwest Region

The Southwest Indian Food for Tribes, better known as SWIFT, hosted a two-day training in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on March 28-29, 2017. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff provided training on certification, customer service, civil rights, and warehouse operations as well as a presentation on the Automated Inventory System (AIS) used by FDPIR programs. Additional discussion was provided by the Oklahoma Department of Education regarding direct certification and by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) online verification system. 

The training was staffed by FNS’ Southwest Regional Office program staff and representatives from the USDA DoD Fresh program, with more than 150 people in attendance each day making the training a success! We look forward to the Southwest Indian Food for Tribes' “swift” return next year!

SWIFT Training

Featured Foods: Black Beans & Whole Wheat Tortillas - Send Us Your Photos and Recipes!

We know that there are many ways to use the USDA Foods you receive every month through FDPIR. This month, we are sharing a photo and recipes highlighting the creative ways you can use whole wheat tortillas and black beans. We want to hear from you! Send us a photo of how you use these items or submit a recipe to help other participants use their USDA Foods in a tasty way. Submit photos or recipe ideas to USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov by August 31, 2017. We will feature some of the ideas submitted by FDPIR participants and nutrition education programs in our next edition of the "FDPIR Connection" newsletter.


Spirit Lake Nutrition Education Class
At the Spirit Lake Food Distribution Program in North Dakota, Nutrition Educator Elisha Poulsen teaches students how to prepare a healthy snack with whole wheat tortillas, peanut butter, and fruit.

Tangy Tuna Black Bean Quesadillas

These tangy black bean tortillas are loaded with tuna. A hearty meal ready in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 ounce) can tuna, drained
  • 1/2 cup black beans, low sodium
  • 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup canned sweet corn, no salt added, drained
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, divided (optional)
  • 4 (8 inch) whole-wheat tortillas
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Mix tuna, black beans, and sour cream together in a large bowl. Stir corn, hot sauce, and cumin into tuna mixture

2. Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; heat 1 tortilla in melted butter for 1 minute and flip.

3. Spread half the tuna mixture over heated tortilla. Sprinkle with half the cheese; cover with another tortilla. Place a lid on the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

4. Flip the quesadilla, cover, and cook until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter, tortillas, and filling. Slice and serve a half quesadilla per person.

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Food Group Contributions: Grains- 1.5 oz. whole grains; Vegetables- ¼ cup; Dairy- ½ cup; Protein- 3 oz.

Calories per Serving: 340

Adapted from AllRecipes


Black Bean Pinwheels

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup canned black beans
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapenos (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ sweet red pepper, finely chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 4 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mash ½ cup of the beans.

2. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup of the beans, cream cheese, and jalapenos.

3. Spread on tortillas and sprinkle cheddar cheese, red pepper, and onions.

4. Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap.

5. Chill for 2 to 8 hours.

6. To serve, remove plastic wrap. Slice ½ to ¾ inch thick.

7. Place cut side up on serving platter.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 10

Yield: 60 pieces

Recipe courtesy of Cherokee Nation, adapted from Food.com


News & Notes

Bison in the Fall Time

The Food Distribution Team is working towards including ground bison as a regular offering in the meat category of the FDPIR food package. This upcoming change, approved by members of the Food Package Review Work Group, is scheduled for the fall time-frame. Participants will have the option to select ground bison among other existing meat choices for their household. Updates to the guide rates and the Automated Inventory System (AIS) will be coming soon, and more information will be disseminated via the Regional Offices.


Shell Eggs

Shell Egg Pilot Expansion Effort

USDA is currently conducting a shell egg pilot with Seneca Nation in upstate New York and three Tribes in Oregon: Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Klamath Tribe. The shell eggs are delivered through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (DoD Fresh) produce vendor. During the pilot period, one dozen shell eggs will replace the powdered egg mix participants receive each month. The pilot has been successful in New York and Oregon. As a result, this year it will be expanded to include nine additional Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs): Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Trenton Indian Service Area, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, White Earth Band of Chippewa, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Cherokee Tribe of North Carolina. The nine ITOs were selected because the DoD contracts were amended to include shell egg distribution, USDA wanted to include other food package distribution models such as store front and tailgating in the pilot, and these ITOs have successfully implemented the USDA DoD Fresh program. Each Tribe will use the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order/Receipt System (FFAVORS) to order shell eggs as part of their food package benefit. USDA will continue to evaluate this pilot program to consider future expansion to other Tribes. USDA continues to work collaboratively with DoD to include shell egg distribution in new contracts as well as amending contracts that still do not include shell eggs.


Coming Soon: Market News in FFAVORS

USDA is working in partnership with DoD to standardize the FFAVORS catalog item descriptions and to create seasonal catalog templates to help create consistency in the approved FDPIR produce items offered and to ensure Tribes are able to order seasonal items, when available, through the online FFAVORS application. Standardizing the item descriptions and creating the templates will streamline the ordering process as well as assist in providing information on regional availability of seasonal items through USDA Market News Reports. These enhancements will provide uniformity in the produce offered by USDA DoD Fresh vendors to all Tribes nationwide. In addition, USDA will be adding the USDA Market News links for fruits and vegetables to the FFAVORS webpage. Market News disseminates detailed information on availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at major domestic wholesale markets, production areas, and ports of entry. The reports will assist customers by giving information when produce items are in season domestically, to evaluate market conditions, identify trends, and monitor price patterns.

To report issues concerning produce quality, condition, and delivery, Tribes should contact their respective DLA Service Representative, the produce vendor, and the appropriate FNS Regional Office staff. It is important to document and report any issues with produce quality, condition, or delivery as soon as produce is delivered. If issues are not resolved, please contact the USDA Complaint Team.

The Complaint Team is available Monday-Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Email USDAFoodsComplaints@fns.usda.gov or call the USDA Foods Complaint Hotline at 800-446-6991.


Resource Roundup

Bison Spaghetti Sauce Recipe Video

New Sharing Gallery Recipe Video: Bison Spaghetti Sauce

Check out the latest addition to the FDPIR Sharing Gallery! Mary Knope, Nutrition Educator at Menominee Food Distribution Program, demonstrates how to make a delicious pasta sauce using bison meat. Visit the Recipes & Cookbooks page to view the video, and send recipes you would like to post to the Sharing Gallery to USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov.


Gardens in Tribal Communities Fact Sheet

New Fact Sheet: Gardens in Tribal Communities

FNS' Office of Community Food Systems has a new fact sheet, "Gardens in Tribal Communities." This fact sheet focuses on Tribal Nations leveraging their school gardens as a tool to preserve tribal language and culture, and as a source of food for child nutrition programs. Learn more about how tribal communities are using gardens to educate students and enhance their connection to the land.

View the new fact sheet here!


Technology Synopsis

Update on AIS Replacement

FNS has been working towards improving and consolidating technology that support FDPIR, including the Automated Inventory System (AIS). Two break-out sessions were conducted at the Annual NAFDPIR Conference to share news about forthcoming enhancements to the current AIS System as well as activities and plans for replacing it.

The AIS replacement project is currently in the acquisition phase, during which both the software platform and system integrator for the development phase will be selected. This project will use Agile methodology to develop, test, and implement system functionality continuously through short cycles called sprints instead of waiting until all system development has been completed.

A starting point for Agile methodologies is collecting requirements, known as user stories, which will guide development activities. To gain a better understanding of shortfalls and challenges with the current technology, FNS has conducted several site visits to observe and gather feedback about how AIS and other systems are used to support FDPIR operations. Additional visits will be scheduled in the future.

The NAFDPIR AIS Steering Committee has been established to identify, review, and prioritize features for the replacement system. Members include FNS and ITO representatives, who serve as a liaison between all FDPIR operations within their Region. The Committee meets monthly. Background information, presentations, and the latest meeting notes are available on the Committee’s webpage.


WBSCM Email Communications

Updates about Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system availability, new and enhanced features, and important reminders are shared via the “News and Announcements” forums on the Home page and the new notification banner. Users can “watch” a forum to receive updates when new information is posted. Additionally, some critical and/or time-sensitive announcements are shared directly by email to reach all impacted users--especially those who may not log in to WBSCM frequently.

A new email address has been set up for WBSCM announcements. Users are encouraged to add WBSCMcommunications@caci.com to their address book and/or Safe Senders list to prevent this important news from being blocked by their email server. Please note this address will be used for outbound messages only and will not be monitored. Questions about WBSCM should be directed to the WBSCM Service Desk.


Hands-On Practice with WBSCM

The WBSCM training environment (NTRN) provides sample data and a safe setting for hands-on practice for most transactions. For the most part, email notifications and interfaces with external system are disabled. While practicing, users can assure themselves that they are working in NTRN (and not the “live” Production environment) by referring to the logo in the upper right corner of the screen:

WBSCM NTRN

Each month, NTRN is updated to the most current WBSCM software release. Each week, the sample data is restored to the original copy, and any changes made since the last restore will be lost. NTRN is not available during the weekly maintenance window from Noon on Friday to Noon on Monday.

To request access to NTRN, contact the WBSCM Service Desk.


Customizing WBSCM Reports

General guidance about working with reports is available in WBSCM at Help -> Training Materials -> Job Aids -> Reports (JA) -> Reporting Navigation. WBSCM standard reports provide flexibility with both content and format to meet the needs of different user groups, food distribution programs, and data requests. Most reports also include an option to export the output to Excel, which offers additional tools for organizing and analyzing data.

If the same search criteria will be used in the future, they can be saved as a variant. To view options to load, save, or delete variants, first click the Show Variants link to expand dialog box. In the following example, the user has saved a variant “MF_ReqDD_2015” with the search criteria to monitor received shipments requested for delivery in 2015 for FDPIR.

Multi-food Received Shipment Report

If a particular layout will be used again, the user can save this custom view and easily access the same settings later. Users may format the report to their liking by adding or removing columns for some data fields, modifying the sequence of columns, changing sort order, and more. In the following example, the user has removed some of the default fields, changed the column order and sorting, and added a filter. Because they want to use the same layout when running this type of report in the future, the user has saved these settings as “My_Recvd_View.”

Multi-food Received Shipment Report

On the Horizon

USDA staff will be participating in this upcoming meeting in 2017. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and hope to see you there!

September 18-20: Second Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition in Prior Lake, Minnesota, hosted by Seeds of Native Health.


How to Sign Up for the USDA Foods E-Letters

Gov

Here's how to sign up for these updates via GovDelivery:

1. Go to the Food Distribution website.

2. Click on the red envelope on the row of social media icons on the top right of the page.

3. Enter your email address and click "Submit."

4. Check the boxes to select your topics of interest. For these e-letters, scroll down to the Food Distribution category and click the plus sign to the left of the check box to expand the list and view all the sub-categories. Check these sub-categories to receive the corresponding e-letters:

*USDA Foods --> receive all "USDA Foods from Farm to Plate" general + program-specific e-letters

*Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) --> receive "Household Highlights" e-letter

*The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) --> receive "Household Highlights" e-letter

*Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) --> receive "FDPIR Connection" e-letter

*Schools/Child Nutrition Commodity Programs --> receive "Spotlight on Schools" e-letter

5. Update your subscription preferences any time by following the above steps or clicking on the Subscriber Preferences Page link at the bottom of any of the e-letter email messages you receive from GovDelivery. Questions? Contact us at USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov