Purchase of Locally Produced Foods

Over 20 years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began a comprehensive effort to connect small farms to school meal programs. This effort, known as the Farm to School (F2S) initiative, encourages small farms to sell fresh fruits and vegetables to schools and encourages schools to increase the percentage of produce purchased from small farms. In a 2015 USDA F2S census, 5,498 California schools indicated they participated in F2S activities. As a result, 3.46 million students are developing healthy eating habits and learning where their food comes from.

This management bulletin is part of the California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division’s (NSD) ongoing efforts to encourage all agencies participating in Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) to participate in F2S activities while providing information to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations.

In support of the F2S initiative, the CDE NSD encourages CNP sponsors to purchase locally produced foods to the maximum extent feasible. Program operators that use food service management companies or other formal contracts with food companies are encouraged to purchase locally. Using locally sourced food products also supports the local economy and provides healthy choices for children in the school meal programs. Local offerings can span the school meal tray and include everything from the salad bar and fresh fruit and vegetable servings to wheat in the pizza crust, beans in the chili, rice in the stir-fry, turkey in the sandwiches, and cheese in the quesadillas.

Local buying includes all types of producers, such as farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, as well as many types of food businesses, including food processors, manufacturers, distributors, and other value-added operations that enable CNPs to showcase the full range of food products available in their respective regions.

All procurement methods may be used to procure from local farmers. When procuring local foods using the micropurchase method (threshold is less than or equal to $50,000 with self-certification) or simplified acquisition method, program operators must adhere to the federal regulations in Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), Section 200.320(a) and (b). Regarding the simplified acquisition threshold; effective January 1, 2018, California Public Contract Code Section 20111 was amended to permit public school districts and county offices of education to follow the threshold of $250,000, unless their local simplified acquisition threshold is more restrictive. When using the simplified acquisition procedures, program operators must obtain an adequate number of price quotes and award the contract to the most responsive and responsible bidder with the lowest price.

Program operators that are required to comply with the Buy American Provision per Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, sections 210.21(d) and 220.16(d), can ensure compliance with the Buy American Provision requirement when they purchase directly from local farms.

As a reminder, purchases of locally grown fruits and vegetables must be competitively procured consistent with federal, state, and local procurement laws, regulations, and policies. Program operators are expected to enforce competition with details found in 2 CFR, Section 200.319.

Resources

• Read USDA Policy Memoranda SP 01-2016, CACFP 01-2016, SFSP 01-2016: Procuring Local Meat, Poultry, Game, and Eggs for CNPs for more information on rules and regulations when procuring local meats, a general overview of the federal regulations, and how state and local governments tailor the rules to address specific issues. This policy memo can be found on the USDA web page Procuring Local Meat, Poultry, Game, and Eggs for CNPs at https://www.fns.USDA.gov/f2s/farm-to-school [Note: The proceeding link is no longer valid. Please visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/procuring-local-foods https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/procuring-local-meat-poultry-game-eggs].
• Refer to the USDA Community Food Systems Resources web page at https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school-resources [Note: The preceeding link is no longer valid. Please visit https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/local-and-regional-food-systems-resource-guide] to obtain resources including a planning guide on how to implement an F2S program. The web page also offers information on establishing a vision, purchasing local foods, menu planning, and other maintenance efforts to sustain the program.
• Visit the California Farmer Marketplace web site at http://cafarmermarketplace.com to find farms near you. This web site offers farmers the opportunity to post products and connect directly with school food service personnel to increase the amount of California-grown and produced foods on school lunch trays. [Note: The preceeding link is no longer valid]
• Visit the CDE NSD Farm to School web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/LS/nu/he/farmtoschool.asp for information about California’s Farm to School initiative for program operators of the CNPs, including background, funding opportunities, best practices, trainings, resources, food safety, policy, compliance guidelines, and contact information.
• Familiarize yourself with the CDE Procurement in CNPs web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/pr/ for more information on procurement through the Procurement Guidance Video series.
• Visit the USDA F2S Procuring Local Foods web page at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/procuring-local-foods for more information on procuring from local farmers. This web page offers a local procurement guide, webinars, and a fact sheet.

Contact Information

Procurement Resources Unit (PRU)

If you have questions on this subject, please contact the Procurement Resources Unit by email at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov.