Fruits & Vegetables Your Way: Using USDA Food Entitlement Funds to Grow Your Produce Program. Augie Aguilar, Jana Nairn,

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1 Fruits & Vegetables Your Way: Using USDA Food Entitlement Funds to Grow Your Produce Program Augie Aguilar, Jana Nairn, Criss Atwell, & Ben Thomas

2 Session Panelists Augie Aguilar Manager, Food Administration Unit California Department of Education Jana Nairn CEO & Controller, Ag Link Criss Atwell Director of Nutrition Services, Modesto City Schools Ben Thomas Farm to Cafeteria Sr. Program Manager, CAFF

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4 First UFFVP Delivery to Turlock Unified in Jan. 2015

5 UFVPP Vendor and Grower Map 15 Approved Vendors: 3 Seeking or Pending Approval 2 Offering grower identified family Farmers Participating Vendors and School Districts Products: 48 approved items Sliced oranges, Grapes, Apples, Pears, Carrots Staples! Citrus, Roots, Leafy Greens, Brassicas and more!

6 Ag Link s USDA Pilot Approved Products Apple Pears Apples - many varieties Apricots Broccoli Cara Cara (pink) Oranges Carrots Cauliflower Celery Fresh cut apple slices Grapes - Red & Green Kiwi Lettuce Mandarins Nectarines Onions Oranges - many varieties Packaged fruit & veggies Peaches Pears - many varieties Persimmons Plums Pluots Specialty Peppers Spinach Strawberries Tangelo Minneolas Tomatoes Watermelons

7 Ag Link s USDA Pilot Approved Products YEAR-ROUND SEASONAL SLICED & PACKAGED Apples - many varieties Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery Fresh cut apple slices Lettuce - many varieties Onions - green/red, sliced Oranges - many varieties Pears - many varieties Spinach Apple Pears Apricots Cara Cara (pink) Oranges Grapes - Red & Green Kiwi Mandarins Nectarines Peaches Persimmons Plums Pluots Specialty Peppers Strawberries Tangelo Minneola Oranges Tomatoes Watermelons Carrots Apples Pears Grapes Oranges

8 UFVPP Snapshot Number of Participating School Districts SY Total Budget Vs. Actual Spent $998,000 $302,000 Total $1,300,000 SY SY $793,000 $2,407,000 SY Total $3,200,000 SY SY $3,200, $0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 From 2016/ /18, 15 schools did not renew and 7 schools applied for the first time, totaling 22 school districts (mostly in Northern California). Spent Remaining Budget/Projected Budget

9 Challenges & Support Opportunities Food Safety Requirements Pilot requires farms to do one of these audits; USDA GAPs USDA Harmonized GAPs Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Farm Food Safety Plan creation guidance Mock 3rd party audit

10 Challenges & Support Opportunities Bid Support! Work with CAFF to Add geographic preference and transparency language within compliance See a variety of approaches through previous bid examples Receive facilitation assistance for small purchases ($3,500-$87,500) Find local producers and vendors See the value for local farms!

11 Questions for Panel

12 Next action steps 1. Share your stories with CDE and CAFF 2. Call your district House of Representative member and tell them how important the UFFVP Pilot is to you! 3. House Agric. Committee Jeff Denham - (R) Modesto: call (209) Doug Lamalfa - (R) Auburn: call (530) Jimmy Panetta - (D) Santa Cruz: call Jim Costa - (D) Fresno: call Follow CFSN and CAFF communications for next steps

13 Support Contacts UFVPP Administration Sherry Tam, USDA Foods Consultant Food Administration Unit, CDE Procurement and Bid Support Ben Thomas Farm to Cafeteria Sr. Program Manager Community Alliance with Family Farmers Food Safety Support (for Farmers) Kali Feiereisel Food Safety Specialist Community Alliance with Family Farms ext 135