Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

DoD Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program

Information regarding Department of Defense fresh produce available to participants of the National School Lunch Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a contract with the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Supply Office (DSO) to provide fresh produce to recipient agencies. The Department of Defense Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Project is a service that allows agencies to use a portion of their entitlement money to order fresh fruits and vegetables.

Entitlement Spending

Warehouse agencies order selected seasonal DoD produce through the allocation process. Agencies are charged a service and handling fee for every case of produce delivered through the State Distribution Center.

State Co-op members order and receive produce directly from the DoD as needed and a $0.15 administrative fee is assessed by the State for each case of produce delivered. In instances where the DoD cannot provide direct delivery, State Co-op members order selected seasonal DoD produce through the pre-planner. Members are charged a service and handling fee of $2.85 for each case of produce delivered through the State Distribution Center.

Private Co-ops and direct ship agencies order domestically grown fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the DoD as needed. A private distributor delivers DoD produce to each agency. A $0.15 administrative fee is assessed by the State for each case of produce delivered.

DoD Fact Sheets
DoD Offering Schedule/List
External Food Service Personnel and Educators

USDA DoD Program Information External link opens in new window or tab.
Information on the DoD Program from the USDA.

Contacts

California Department of Education
Food Distribution Program Customer Service
Phone: 916-324-7132
Email: FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov

California Defense Supply Office Customer Service
Genaro Cordova
Phone: 559-267-3993
Email: genaro.cordova@dla.mil

Questions:   Food Distribution Program | 916-324-7132
Last Reviewed: Thursday, June 06, 2024
Related Content
  • Food Distribution
    Information about United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food commodities, Department of Defense (DoD) fresh produce, distribution centers, and processing of USDA Foods.
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Webinar-Expanded Geographic Preference (added 10-Jun-2024)
    This web page provides registration information on the webinar titled Partners Webinar on the Expanded Geographic Preference Option in the Final Rule, provided by the USDA’s Farm to School Team.
  • South American Meat Inc. Recalls Frozen Raw Beef (added 06-Jun-2024)
    South American Meat Inc., recalled approximately 20,111 pounds of various eligible frozen raw beef products that were not presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service for import reinspection.
  • Farm to Summer Celebration Week 2024- Reminder (added 04-Jun-2024)
    The F2Summer Celebration Week is a recognition program for summer meal program operators that complete three elements: 1) Taste, 2) Teach, and 3) Connect during the designated week of June 17–21, 2024.
  • Summer EBT 2024 Plan of Operations and Timeline (added 04-Jun-2024)
    Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (S-EBT) 2024 Plan of Operations and Management has officially been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and the customer service helpline for households has been released.
  • April 23, 2024 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources (added 03-Jun-2024)
    The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar April 23, 2024.