The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is pleased to share that for School Year (SY) 2026–27, we will continue to suspend the Food Distribution Program (FDP) administrative fee of $0.90 per case/case equivalent for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods. The Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and the Unprocessed Fruit and Vegetable Pilot program administrative fees are not included in this temporary suspension.
This fee suspension remains temporary and school food authorities are strongly encouraged to budget for a return to full program fees beginning SY 2027–28.
For schools who receive USDA Foods from the CDE’s distribution centers, the $0.90 administrative fee is a component of the standard delivery fee and the standard pick-up fee. With this temporary suspension, the delivery and pick-up fees remain reduced by $0.90.
The chart below provides a comparison of the full program fees to the SY 2026–27 reduced rates.
The FDP full and temporarily reduced fee schedule is as follows:
| Program Fee Type | Full Fee | Temporarily Reduced Fees SY 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
Administrative Fee for Bulk and Direct Delivery USDA Foods sent to processors, distributors, or direct to School Food Authorities (per case or case equivalent) |
$0.90 | $0.00 |
USDA Foods delivered by the State Distribution Centers (SDCs) per case fee (full delivery fee includes the Administrative Fee) |
$2.85 | $1.95 |
USDA Foods picked up from the SDCs per case fee (full pick-up fee includes the Administrative Fee) |
$2.40 | $1.50 |
| DoD Fresh Produce (Produce Administrative Fee) per case fee | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Unprocessed Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Produce (Produce Administrative Fee) per case fee | $0.15 | $0.15 |
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the Food Distribution Program at via email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.