Tribal Interest in CSFP Operations
Seminole Nation’s Food Distribution Program, located in the south-central part of the state of Oklahoma, currently provides food
and nutrition services to over 700 enrolled Tribal members. In August
2017, and some 1,300 miles east of the Food Distribution facility,
Director Tod Robertson of Seminole Nation joined Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff on a Commodity
Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) site visit operated by the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). CAFB is the largest organization in the Washington, D.C. metro area working to
solve hunger. Included in its efforts is a focus on elderly nutrition
through participation in the Grocery Plus Program, which encourages
seniors to remain active by providing a variety of nutritious foods needed for
a healthy diet. The program is a combination of CSFP and the Senior
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), and provides 30-40 lbs. of
healthy groceries monthly to seniors aged 60 or over who live in D.C. and meet
income guidelines. Food packages vary every month but generally contain
items such as juice, milk, dry beans, peanut butter, grains, cheese, canned
fruit, canned vegetables, and protein. Over the summer months,
participants receive vouchers through SFMNP, which are redeemable for produce
at participating local farmers’ markets. During the visit, Mr. Robertson
received a first-hand look at the distribution of the program at a senior
facility and had the opportunity to further engage with CAFB staff on the
general operation of the program. The site visit was welcomed by Mr.
Robertson who is now exploring administering the program at Seminole Nation.
Over $274.65 Million Bonus Foods Offered in TEFAP Since October 2016
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) had plentiful bonus offerings in fiscal year (FY) 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017. Bonus offerings are the result of the surplus removal program, where the USDA purchases foods in order to increase domestic consumption. Not only does this program help domestic producers; it also helps provide healthy food to low-income households! This year started with cheddar cheese as a bonus offer. Mid-year offerings featured dried, canned, frozen, and fresh fruits. September, the final month of the fiscal year, was fast and furious for USDA and our State partners, with numerous bonus offerings. We placed orders for over 3,643 bonus truckloads, worth as an estimated $128 million.
We appreciate the hard work and diligence of USDA Regional Office and State Staff in processing of sales orders with very short turnaround time frames. We could not have processed all of these orders without their assistance.
TEFAP Expands Fresh
and Frozen Options
TEFAP provides food assistance to individuals
and families through food banks and other emergency feeding programs. Historically, this program provided primarily
shelf stable food for distribution, but some food banks with the capacity to
handle fresh and frozen items expressed interest in a wider variety of options through
TEFAP. USDA responded by adding a number
of new fresh and frozen food options to the TEFAP Foods Available List over the
past few years, including fresh produce, eggs, cheese, and frozen fruits
and vegetables. Fresh produce options available for TEFAP entitlement purchase include multiple
varieties of apples, pears, and potatoes.
Nearly 12 million pounds of fresh produce, close to 5
million pounds of shell eggs, and 2 million pounds of cheese were distributed
through TEFAP in FY2016! On
the frozen fruit and vegetable front, programs can now choose from a variety of
options, including apple slices, green peas, and diced carrots. USDA is happy to hear the positive response
to these recent additions and will continue to explore new options to meet
the needs of food pantry customers. If
you have suggestions about items USDA Foods should consider offering through
TEFAP, please send them to USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov.
Best Practices for Handling Frozen Food
in Food Banks
Proper handling and storage of frozen USDA Foods throughout
distribution is essential to maintaining food safety and quality. Frozen food
storage areas should maintain a steady product temperature of 0° F (-18°
C). In addition, they should be of
sufficient size to provide for proper inventory management, stock rotation -
utilizing FIFO (“First In- First Out”) - and circulation of air around frozen
foods. Foods that require freezing should be promptly moved into cold storage
areas upon receipt and remain in these storage conditions until distributed. Based on product type, available code dates, and when the product was received, Recipient
Agencies (RAs) should determine safe last dates for distribution. All frozen
foods storage facilities should be regularly defrosted and cleaned as well as kept free of debris to
maintain refrigeration efficiency and to reduce the possibility of food
contaminants. The temperature of storage areas containing frozen USDA Foods should be
recorded daily to ensure the integrity of the products, noting any deficiencies
and corrections. By taking the necessary precautions, food losses can be prevented or minimized.
Staff should be trained on how to properly receive and store USDA
Foods. Examining the product as it is being unloaded helps avoid problems
later. Before the truck leaves, take temperatures of frozen foods,
verify that the quantity of product received matches the quantity on the bill
of lading, examine the quality of the product, and check the condition of the
packaging and containers. Document any issues and take photos. It is important
that sufficient time is taken to walk around pallets, open cases, and, if
needed, open internal packaging to check product. Take action immediately if a product does not meet specifications. Vendors have a contractual obligation to
deliver food in a safe and acceptable manner. RAs who have issues/concerns with frozen USDA
Foods product(s) should contact their State Distributing Agency (SDA) with as
much information as possible. The SDA will report the complaint through the
Web-Based Supply Chain Management System (WBSCM).
For more information on
how to file a USDA Foods Complaint, review How to File a
USDA Foods Complaint.
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.
 The view from the Feeding South Dakota warehouse just outside Pierre. This view highlights the logistical challenges for food distribution in this part of the State.
USDA Staff Learn about CSFP Operations in New
Jersey and South Dakota
In August, USDA Staff visited sites in
New Jersey and South Dakota to learn more about Commodity
Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) operations. In addition to touring
facilities and observing client interactions, food package distribution, and
warehouse activities, USDA staff also met with State and partner agency staff
to discuss the processes and technology currently used to support CSFP. Each
site visit provided insight into different challenges these organizations face
as well as the strategies and innovative solutions they have devised to support
seniors in their service areas.
For example, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey manages
monthly distributions at more than 50 senior living facilities—many occurring on
the same day—and relies on strong partnerships with building staff and trained
volunteers to meet this logistical challenge.
Feeding South Dakota provides food packages to seniors across long
distances and in sparsely populated areas across the State through a scheduled
truck delivery route that brings food packages to partner food pantries and
community organizations.
Western South Dakota Community Action, which provides a variety
of other services to a 14-county region, has developed “Tracker” software to
support CSFP as well as housing assistance, weatherization programs, employment
support services, and more. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Food Distribution staff
provided valuable feedback on the Automated
Inventory System (AIS), which is currently used for the Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and is being
replaced, as well as insight into the operational similarities and
differences between both programs.
The observations and feedback from these site visits as well
as future visits to be scheduled in 2018 will help guide development of USDA
technology to support the operational needs of CSFP.
 Dry Beans
Dry beans are a highly nutritious and versatile product that
is widely distributed through both TEFAP and CSFP. With multiple available varieties, including
pinto, red kidney, garbanzo, great northern, blackeye peas, and baby lima
beans, this item can be used to boost protein, fiber, and nutrients in a
variety of recipes. However, cooking dry
beans can be intimidating for those who are not used to using beans in this form. Below, we share a cooking method for beans
that eliminates the need to soak overnight and results in tender beans that can
be seasoned and served or used in recipes.
Preparation/Cooking:
- Examine beans and throw away any dirt, stones, or beans that are
discolored or shriveled.
- Rinse beans
with water and drain.
- Put beans in
large pot and add fresh water to cover.
Heat beans and water to boiling, then turn the heat to low and cover.
- Cook beans
until tender, adding additional water as needed. Check the package for suggested cooking
times, depending on the type of bean.
Cooking times may be 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the type of
bean.
- Add desired
seasonings to beans or use cooked beans in a recipe.
For recipes and ideas for how to use dry
beans, visit the USDA What’s Cooking site.
Western Regional Office CSFP/TEFAP Best Practices Meeting
USDA Staff attended
the Western Regional Office WRO CSFP/TEFAP Best Practices Meeting in San
Francisco, California from August 23-24. During the meeting, they provided general operations and program updates and listened as TEFAP and CSFP
State Agencies from the Western Region shared best practices. USDA Staff also coordinated sessions
on many topics, including WSCM ordering and receipting, CSFP caseload
allocation and management, and working with Tribal Organizations. USDA looks
forward to other opportunities to interact with stakeholders at meetings and
conferences in the future.
New Look Coming to WBSCM
At the end of October, many of the supporting software
components for the Web-Based
Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system will be upgraded. To accomplish this, WBSCM will be unavailable
after 4:00 PM Eastern Time, October 27 through 6:00 AM Eastern Time, October 30, 2017. The training environment (NTRN) will also be
unavailable during this time and through the first week of November.
This upgrade will improve system performance and
provide some new navigational tools. There
will also be some subtle changes to the look of the header, tabs, and
navigation menu, including re-positioning of the WBSCM logo.
  Some of the new navigation tools include:
Back, Forward, History, and Favorites links are added to top menu
bar.
- Tabs are
highlighted when selected or when the mouse cursor hovers over them.
- A breadcrumb
trail below the tabs shows the navigation path, and the user can easily go back
to a previously selected menu item or tab by clicking the linked text.
- The
‘Options’ menu is more clearly labeled to facilitate user access to
context-sensitive help and more.
After the upgrade, all users will need to re-create
their portal favorites. Instructions are
available in the WBSCM document library:
Help->Training->Job
Aids->General Help->Add a Portal Favorite.
USDA staff will be participating in these upcoming meetings in 2017 and 2018. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and hope to see you there!
October 24-25: Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 2017 Annual Industry Meeting for USDA Foods Contractors and Suppliers in Arlington, Virginia.
April 29 - May 2: American Commodity Distribution Association (ACDA) Annual National Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
May 20-23: National Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association (NCSFPA) Annual Conference in Fort Myers, Florida.
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
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