Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program SY Grant Training Module 3

Welcome to Module 3 FFVP Training SY Objectives – Describe Federal and State Procurement Regulations related to FFVP – Describe the benefits of Farm to School and how FFVP can utilize the Farm to School process – Identify resources for success in FFVP – Identify common mistakes and oversights in FFVP

Procurement for FFVP All FFVP procurement must follow the same local, state, and federal guidelines as NSLP The USDA FFVP Handbook is a guide for federal procurement guidelines The FFVP Addendum is a guide for state procurement guidelines

Wholesalers Brokers Local grocery stores Farmers’ markets Orchards Local growers Potential Vendors or Suppliers

Reminder: Produce purchased with FFVP funds is meant to be used in the FFVP only Review Allowable and Non-Allowable Expenses Cannot be used in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Programs

Geographic Preference Purchasing locally grown products to the maximum extent practicable and appropriate District defines “locally grown” At district’s discretion, not required May only be applied to the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products

Geographic Preference FFVP provisions must be met – For example, produce must be fresh Already sliced and bagged items are permissible SP : Geographic Preference for the Procurement of Unprocessed Agricultural Products in the Child Nutrition Programs

Buy American Applies to FFVP funds Produce which are generally not available as a domestic product, may be purchased even though they are not domestic – Examples: bananas, pineapples USDA Policy Memo – SP

Buy American To ensure compliance consider: – Ordering through DOD-Fresh (Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program) – This is NOT the same as our program – But the Child Nutrition FFVP Program may purchase through the DOD-Fresh program Uses large network of produce suppliers to distribute a wide variety of American-grown fresh produce directly to schools Cost is usually reasonable – Commodity Office can help set that up

Buy American / Farm to School – Buying produce from local grocery stores and farmers’ markets – Be sure to buy from reputable farmers that follow good agricultural practices Contact your local County Extension Service for a list of farmers in your area – Supporting farm-to-school projects by purchasing produce from growers and farmers in your community For info on Farm to School Initiative:

Farm to School Market Maker – site to search for sources of fresh local produce

Local Procurement Local Procurement books to be distributed at Director’s Conference – USDA’s Guide Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs – Available on USDA’s website if you need earlier

FFVP Resources Ideas for nutrition education – Federal guidance says FFVP schools will incorporate nutrition education with the program but FFVP funds may not be used on promotional materials, etc. This list of resources provides a guide for finding free or low-cost educational materials, guest speakers from the community, and ideas for successful implementation of FFVP

USDA State and Locally Developed FFVP Materials developed.htm developed.htm Includes lesson plans, fact sheets, harvest calendars

More Matters

ChooseMyPlate.gov myplate.gov/ myplate.gov/

a comprehensive education and social marketing campaign including: – monthly lessons, – family newsletters, – recipe cards, – bingo cards, – newspaper ads and articles and – radio PSAs

31 Fruit and Vegetable Fact Sheets

Dietary Guidelines for Americans gov/DGAs2010- PolicyDocument.htm gov/DGAs2010- PolicyDocument.htm

– Nutrition Education Series v/healthy-eating-tips/ten- tips.html v/healthy-eating-tips/ten- tips.html The Ten Tips Nutrition Education Series provides consumers and professionals with high quality, easy-to- follow tips in a convenient, printable format. Topics Include: Choose MyPlate Add More Vegetables to Your Day Focus on Fruits Make Half Your Grains Whole Got Your Dairy Today? Build a Healthy Meal Healthy Eating for Vegetarians Smart Shopping for Veggies and Fruits Liven up Your Meals With Vegetables and Fruits Kid-Friendly Veggies and Fruits Be a Healthy Role Model for Children Cut Back on Your Kid's Sweet Treats Salt and Sodium

A Consumer’s Guide to Safe Handling of Locally Grown Produce ns/PDF/FSFCS05.pdf ns/PDF/FSFCS05.pdf Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

Contact your County Extension Office – Variety of teaching models and tools – Will often serve as a guest speaker for classroom activities or school assemblies – Have free or low cost nutrition education materials – Every county in Arkansas has at least one County Extension Office

Ideas from FFVP Schools

Trouble Shooting FFVP

Excel Claim rounds incorrectly… Excel is designed to calculate in this manner = and rounds to The difference occurs when we calculate… = Occurs on the claim under Direct Labor and Administrative Labor Double check your computer’s math and correct either on the Excel claim or write it in with ink on the printed claim

LEA is incomplete… Delays claim entry into payment software Include ALL SEVEN digits of your LEA

Claim has items listed from previous month… The claim preparer makes a list of all types of fruit ordered and leaves the list even if all types were not ordered in a month – Apples23.00 – Bananas – Oranges – Grapes21.00 Delays claim entry into payment software Delete the names and costs of items not ordered Start with a “clean” claim each month

Something weird happened with your order and the invoice has changed… Difficult to interpret invoices delay the claim approval process Please make short, concise notes that explain the situation – One case returned – molded

You received a credit… You paid for something that was returned. – Show that amount of money out during the initial month. – When the distributor reimburses your account, show that as a credit on your next claim. – Make notes as appropriate on invoices or CNU… Send documentation for both. Claim 1Claim 2 Grapes24.00Grapes (credit) Invoice from distributorDocumentation of credit shows that you paid for item.from distributor – credit memo or listed on next invoice.

CNU notices continued simple mistakes… Please double check your work.

CNU consistently has difficulty reading your faxes… If we request for you to refax more than twice, simply start mailing your claims. They will get here in plenty of time. If you have access to a scanner, claims can be ed.

You need to know how much money you have spent… Even if your bookkeeper monitors FFVP money, keep a running total at your desk. CNU will the Director a copy of any corrected claims. Be sure to share with bookkeepers.

You are confused about Allocation 1 and Allocation 2… Allocation 1 pot of money opens on July 1 and is super- glued, welded, and clamped closed on September 30. Any and all money spent and allocated (ordered) during this time is Allocation 1. Allocation 2 pot of money opens on October 1 and is super-glued, welded, and clamped closed on June 30. Any and all money spent and allocated (ordered) during this time is Allocation 2. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER SPEND ALLOCATION 1! – DO NOT ORDER AHEAD IN SEPTEMBER!!

You forgot the deadline for ordering… PLEASE REMEMBER… – Equipment must be ordered by November 30! – Non-Food Supplies must be ordered by April 15! We can not guarantee reimbursement if products are ordered after the deadlines!

Someone got a raise!!! Hooray!! Please send us an updated pay confirmation if you claim labor for FFVP when something changes. We do not need repeat copies monthly

Oops! You overspent… There is no guarantee that there will be any extra funds to cover over-expenses. Please track your expenses. Watch your for updates on corrected claims.

When in Doubt… Call the FFVP crew at the Child Nutrition Unit (501) Or THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!!

Conclusion This completes Module 3 of the FFVP Training