L/O/G/O NJ Department of Agriculture School Nutrition Programs Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of Easy Steps for Success!

5 STEPS for SUCCESS Participants will understand…. (1) The Importance of Correct and Good Maintenance of Meal Applications (2) The Menu Drives Everything (3) The Importance of Program Accountability (4) Food Service Contracting Options (5) That Resources, Partnerships and Constant Training are Essential

STEP 1 The Importance of Correct and Good Maintenance of Meal Applications  Properly trained staff is a MUST  Timeliness and proper use of Direct Certification (DC) will increase eligibility

DC and Verification  Required dates for DC matching July 15 th - Sept 5 th October 5 th - October 30 th March 5 th - March 30 th  Verification must be completed at the LEA level by November 15 th based on eligibility data from October 1 st

STEP 2 The Menu Drives Everything  High Participation -Increase Revenue -Customer Satisfaction  Well Administered Compliant Programs -Offer vs Serve -Counting Reimbursable Meals  Food Cost (USDA Entitlement)  Labor Cost (Meals Per Man-Hours)

Menu Planning Tips a) Cycle menus are your FRIEND b) Grade Groupings c) Weekly and Daily Minimums d) Required Dietary Specifications e) Vegetable sub groups must be met f) WGR standards must be met g) Offer versus Serve requirements must be followed

USDA Donated Foods  Annual entitlement is based on the schools ADP (Average Daily Participation)  School Districts (RAs) apply through SNEARS  The national average rate for the period July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 is cents for NSLP schools  Contact: Jennifer Zeligson

STEP 3 Program Accountability  Accurate Monthly Claim (Due by the 10 th of the following month)  Compare with edit check worksheets before certifying  Ensure that the revenue of the program and non program foods can be reported separately  Contact the Finance unit

STEP 4 Food Service Contracting Options available if not Board Operated:  Commercial Vendor  LEA to LEA  FSMC

Deciding based on Needs LEAs that do not have facilities to prepare meals on site can:  Secure a base year commercial vendor contract following required procurement procedures OR  Purchase meals from another LEA

Commercial Vendor ‘Must Knows’  A commercial vendor is an enterprise that provides complete reimbursable meals or meal components ONLY  Vendors cannot provide employees or manage any aspect of the foodservice program  If these services are needed in your district the best suited option is contracting with a FSMC

Specification Guidance Suggested information/requirements to include in specifications for Commercial Vendors:  Length (term) of contract  Type of meals requested  Number of meal components  Number of days, location(s) and time(s) for meals  Type of meal service (i.e., bulk, prepack, hot, cold)  Delivery schedule

Commercial Vendor Contract Approval  All LEAs MUST USE state agency Commercial Vendor Contract template (#233)  All documents must be submitted by September 30 th  Required documents are indicated on the LEA/Commercial Vendor Checklist (#199)

LEA to LEA ‘Must Knows’  All LEAs must use State Agency LEA to LEA Contract (#56)  All documents must be submitted by September 30 th  LEA is exempt from procurement regulations

Contracting with FSMCs THE ‘MUST KNOWS’ when contracting with FSMCs  Ensure Open & Free Competition  Good Specifications are key  Award ONLY to Registered FSMCs (#221)  Read and Understand the Contract  Ensure you are clear and agree with the guarantee and all conditions

Open & Free Competition  Start process early to assure sufficient time for FSMC:  Develop a thorough, comprehensive proposal  Attend a facility walk-through while school is in session (recommended, not mandatory)  Requirements cannot be overly restrictive but informative

FSMC Specifications Specifications must include:  Current state agency Response & Projected Operating Statement (Form #23)  21 Day Cycle Menu  Scoring criteria that indicates how the LEA will evaluate and rank proposals

FSMC Specifications  Criteria must include technical, management and cost related criteria and should identify all evaluation criteria and relative importance  Overall cost of the contract should get the most weight  Transparency of FSMC rebate system should be included as part of scoring criteria

Award to Registered FSMCs  The State Agency has a required registration process for FSMC that want to contract with LEAs in NJ  A Prototype Contract is provided to FSMC representatives at the training  Registered FSMC list is Form # 221

Contract and Guarantee  Review all the terms and conditions in the contract  Ensure that you understand and agree with the fees, guarantee and guarantee conditions

STEP 5 Resources and Partnerships  State Agency  Parents  Students  School Board  Food Service Management Companies, Commercial Vendors  Others…….

STEP 5 Continued Constant Training is Essential  Support attendance at In Service trainings  Budget time to watch online training offered by State Agency, USDA, NFSMI, SNA  Encourage Food Service Staff to keep up to date with PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Professional Standards USDA’s minimum professional standards requirements effective July 1, POSITION:School Year : School Year : Directors8 hours12 hours Managers6 hours10 hours Staff4 hours6 hours Part Time Staff (Less than 20 hrs./wk.) 4 hours

Resources NJ Jersey State Agency (Resources Webinars, Power Point Presentations) Department of Agriculture home page and website for forms : SNEARS (My NJ logon and password required) to access resources, webinars, power point presentations, memos and messages National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) (Free Training) Call toll free at – 5 (CST) Help desk Staff

Resources Continued School Nutrition Association (SNA) NJ School Nutrition Association Janet Hawk, Executive Director Garden State Co-op (46 school districts) Jane Cora, Secretary USDA USDA My Plate: USDA Team Nutrition Professional Standards

Closing Note Consistent monitoring and managing of all the factors that come into play in an operation, particularly these 5 key concepts, are key to your success.

THANK YOU Presented by: Arleen Ramos-Szatmary, M.S., CPM Cheryl Goffus, SNS Coordinator School Nutrition Programs Southern Regional Specialist Division of Food and Nutrition PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THE EVALUATION