USDA Foods Database Webinar
On September 30th, 2022, the USDA Foods Database was officially released, providing states and school districts access to vendor-specific nutrition, allergen, and ingredient information for direct delivered USDA Foods for child nutrition programs.
On March 2, 2023, from 2:00-3:00 pm EDT, USDA FNS will host a webinar titled, Navigating the USDA Foods Database. This webinar will provide instructions on how to navigate the USDA Foods Database and explain each section of the database including product information, nutrients, allergens, certifications, and ingredients. It will also provide a brief overview of the release notes that accompany each new release of the database and other useful resources. The webinar will include a live Q&A where you can get your most pressing USDA Foods Database questions answered. Registration is required, and attendees can register for the webinar here. This webinar will be recorded and made available at a later date. We hope to see you there!
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USDA Foods Available List for SY 2023-24
On January 9th, 2023, the SY 2023-24 USDA Foods Available List for Schools and Institutions was published and updated to reflect the following changes:
New Items
- 111643 – Cherries, Tart, Dried, Individual Portion – 250/1.36 oz bag
Items Removed
This item has been temporarily removed due to insufficient quantities and supply chain issues.
- 111100 – Cereal, Oat Circles, Bowls – 96/1 oz bowls
This item has been temporarily removed due to vendor capacity and quality issues.
- 100195 – Tuna, Chunk Light, Canned (K) – 6/66.5 oz can
These items have been removed due to low order volumes or changes in processor needs.
- 100236 – Cherries, Tart, Pitted, Unsweetened, Frozen (IQF) – 12/2.5 lb. bag
- 100397 – Peanut Butter, Smooth - 500 lb. drum
Item Changes
- 111230 – Mixed Vegetables, No Salt Added, Frozen – 6/5 lb. bag
- Item credits towards the additional vegetables to meet the overall vegetables requirement instead of as multiple vegetable subgroups (25% red/orange, 25% other, and 50% starchy).
The sodium content in the specification will change from 36 mg - 140 mg per serving to 140 mg or less per serving to allow no-salt-added varieties in addition to low sodium for the following materials:
- 100307 – Beans, Green, Low-sodium, Canned (K) – 6/#10 can
- 100309 – Carrots, Sliced, Low-sodium, Canned – 6/#10 can
- 100315 – Peas, Green, Low-sodium, Canned – 6/#10 can
The USDA Foods List of Materials SY 2023-24 was also updated to provide an estimated price per pound, per case, and per truck for all USDA Foods items available. This information can be used by States and school districts to estimate the entitlement value of USDA Foods orders placed for the upcoming school year.
Don’t forget that USDA Foods entitlement may also be used to order a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for weekly delivery through the USDA DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Contact your State Distributing Agency if you are interested in participating in this program.
USDA Foods in Schools Catalog Opened for SY23-24 Orders
In January, the USDA Foods in Schools ordering catalog for School Year 2023-2024 was opened to begin accepting orders for deliveries beginning in July 2023. As a reminder, orders for many products can be placed or modified throughout the year to allow as much flexibility as possible. USDA works with each industry group to determine how much advance notice they need to produce the foods that school districts request. For some foods, such as seasonal fruits and vegetables, orders for the entire year are needed in the spring so the industry has firm order quantities and knows how much product to plant or package for USDA Foods. For other foods, such as meat, cheese, and grains, USDA purchases product much closer to the time of delivery (e.g. 60 days in advance), so USDA offers order due dates throughout the year to allow States the flexibility to add, cancel, or change orders during the year.
It is important to remember that USDA Foods supports domestic growers and processors and these industries need forecasts to produce enough of the right products to meet the needs of school districts nationwide. Schools should work with their State agency to see which foods require firm commitments for the entire school year and which products may have more ordering flexibility. State Agency contacts for USDA Foods in Schools can be found here.
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Where to Find USDA Foods in Schools Product Information
We know how important it is for school districts to have access to product information for each food included on school menus to meet the meal pattern requirements and make accommodations for student needs. The USDA has four main resources to help you find the information you need.
The USDA Foods Available List can be found on the FNS website. This list is updated each year in December/January and includes every food item available for purchase for the following school year. It contains basic information such as the WBSCM material code and description, the food group it belongs to, form (i.e., canned, frozen, dried, fresh), pack size, and if the material is a whole grain or has a commercial Kosher certification.
The USDA Foods in Schools Product Information Sheets can also be found on the FNS website. Each Product Information Sheet is organized by food group and can be identified by its USDA Foods Description and WBSCM material code. These are useful for menu planning as they provide a more detailed product description, crediting and nutrition information, case yield, and culinary tips and recipes. While it is more detailed than the USDA Foods Available List, it is less detailed and technical than the product specification. The Product Information Sheets are expected to be phased out by December 2023.
Product Specifications can be found on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website. Products can be searched by food type (i.e., fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, dairy, etc.) and form. Each product specification contains detailed information such as defined serving sizes, limits on specific nutrients, ingredients that are included or restricted, which commercial kosher certifications a product may have, or if a product is raw or cooked.
The USDA Foods Database can be found on the FNS website. The database provides access to vendor-specific nutrition, allergen, and ingredient information for direct delivered USDA Foods for child nutrition programs. Products can be searched by food category and WBSCM material code. The USDA Foods Database has similar information to the Product Information Sheets but also includes nutrient, allergen, ingredient, and certification information that is unique to each vendor that supplies a particular USDA Foods product. The USDA Foods Database will replace the Product Information Sheets when they are phased out.
Still can’t find what you are looking for? Contact USDAFoods@usda.gov and we would be happy to assist you in getting the information you need.
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Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten Materials Now Available
New and updated Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten materials are now available from USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative! These fun resources foster the development of healthy food choices and physically active lifestyles during a critical developmental and learning period for children—kindergarten. Now with more recipes, food cards, and emergent readers, which you can find here.
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Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides eligible low-income households a subsidy of up to $30 per month on internet service plans offered by participating internet service providers and up to $75 per month for eligible households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
Households with income at or below 200% of the poverty level are eligible for the subsidy—about 30 million households, or one in four of all households in the US. However, households are also automatically eligible for the ACP—without the need to prove their income—if at least one member of the household is receiving benefits from certain government assistance programs, including FDPIR.
The Biden-Harris Administration has secured commitments from many of the nation’s top internet service providers to offer high-speed internet plans to ACP-eligible households for $30 or less, with no other fees and no data caps. ACP-eligible households that choose to pair the ACP subsidy with one of these plans will be able to obtain high-speed internet with no out-of-pocket costs—meaning millions of low-income households will be able to obtain high-speed internet at no cost.
Learn more at GetInternet.Gov
USDA State Agency Meeting
In December 2022, USDA had the opportunity to meet with our State Agencies to talk about a variety of topics impacting states and schools, such as getting back to standard operations and supply chain issues. The USDA Foods team hosted a pre-conference session and breakout sessions that were widely attended. The team also appreciated the opportunity to hear from States during our USDA Foods listening session. We are continuously working to improve USDA Foods and will use the feedback received to inform our processes, training, and technical assistance. We always welcome ideas and suggestions for how to improve USDA Foods, so please email us at USDAFoods@usda.gov with any ideas or suggestions.
New WBSCM Features for State Distributing Agencies
With the January 2023 release, the following Web-based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) features are now available to support State Distributing Agencies (SDAs) who have rolled down WBSCM to their respective recipient agencies (RAs):
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SDA to RA Forum: Message board functionality is now available to SDAs to communicate within their WBSCM user community, including their RAs and Co-Ops, via announcements and threaded discussion. An SDA’s forum will not be visible to other SDA organizations in WBSCM. Settings are available for users to receive email notification of new posts. To discuss setting up a forum for their organization, SDAs should contact the WBSCM Service Desk.
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Expanded Selection Options when Assigning Catalog to RA: Previously, when selecting RAs to assign to a catalog, the SDA could only search by Organization Name and Program. Search criteria have been expanded to include Additional Name, Zone, County, and City. This will allow SDAs to search, sort, and filter the list of RAs to assign catalogs based on region or other identifiers that may not be part of the RA’s name in WBSCM.
 SDAs who are thinking about extending WBSCM to their RAs can contact the FNS Technology Branch. Upon request, a resource is available with questions and considerations to help inform the decision and planning process.
All monthly changes are documented in the Release Notes, which may be accessed in WBSCM at Help > Training > Release Notes.
For questions about WBSCM, please contact the WBSCM Service Desk or call (877) 927-2648.
USDA will be participating in these upcoming meetings in 2023. We look forward to meeting you and hope to see you there!
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