Fresh Fruit and

Vegetable Program

School Year 17-18

Webinar

August 8, 2017

Program History

• First operated in Alabama in 2008-2009 school year

• Participation has increased dramatically over the years:

• SY 08-09 --- 25 Schools Participating

• SY 09-10 --- 39 School Participating

• SY 10-11 --- 62 Schools Participating

• SY 11-12 --- 92 Schools Participating

• SY 12-13 --- 106 Schools Participating

• SY 13-14 --- 111 Schools Participating

• SY 14-15 --- 118 Schools Participating

• SY 15-16 --- 120 Schools Participating

• SY16-17 --- 124 Schools Participating

• SY17-18 --- 104 Schools Participating

Program Funding

• Alabama Awarded:

• $448,633.16—School Year 08-09

• $3,331,241.26—School Year 17-18

• USDA Standards:

• Annual per student allocation between $50 and $75

Selection Criteria

• Elementary Schools

• 50% or more F/R eligibility

• NSLP Participation

• Annual FFVP Application

Program Guidance

• USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (A Handbook for

Schools)

Program Goals

• Expand Variety

• Increase Consumption

• Develop Long-Term Healthy Habits

Program Operations

• Develop Monthly Budget

• File Monthly Claim by Deadline—20th of following month

• Maintain Supporting Documentation

• Follow FFVP Handbook Guidance

• Follow USDA Bid Regulations

• Follow HACCP Plan (HHFKA 2010)

Allocation of Funds

• Twice Per Year

• July—September

• October—June

• Keep these dates in mind when planning your budget

Program Recipients

• Children that Normally Attend the School

• Including:

• Split Session Kindergarten

• Head Start

• Child Care Center in the School

• Roster is not required

FFVP Should Not be Used

• For anyone other than the normally attending

students, such as:

• Visiting community residents

• Visiting parents or other adults

• As gifts or rewards

• For disciplining children

Teachers’ Role

• Teacher Participation is Invaluable

• Teacher Participation Includes:

• Role Modeling

• Aiding with Distribution

• Delivering Nutrition Education

Nutrition Education

• Nutrition education is encouraged

• Grant funds cannot be used to purchase education materials

• Links to Free education materials:

Link Between FFVP and Classroom

• Encourage teachers to be creative

• FFVP can fit into many lessons, including:

• Reading—books about fruit and veggies

• Science—Acidity of citrus fruit

• Math—Using grapes to add and subtract

• Health/P.E.—The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables

• Geography—Where certain fruits and veggies originated

Serving Times

• Outside of meal service periods

• During the School Day

• Not limited to one time per day

Serving Location

• Determined at the Local Level

• Things to Consider:

• Timing—not immediately before or after meal periods

• Amount of time for students to eat

• Time needed to prepare and serve students

• Clean-up

• Availability of staff

• Administrative support

Think Outside the Ordinary

• Increasing Variety is a Major Objective of the Program

• But this is often overlooked!

• ALSDE is making efforts to encourage variety in our Fresh

Fruit and Vegetable Programs by:

• Requiring that all schools offer FFVP at least 2 days/week during a

full school week

• Requiring that a vegetable is served at least once/week

• Limiting expensive roasting events to one per school per school year

• Requiring that SFAs serve at least 1 focus fruit and 1 focus vegetable

each month

Focus Fruit/Vegetable

Fruit examples• Hidden Rose apple vs. Red

Delicious

• Blood orange vs. Valencia orange

• Lady finger banana vs. common variety

• Cotton candy grape vs. red or green grape

Vegetable examples

• Rainbow carrot vs. common

variety

• Broccolini vs. broccoli

• Kale vs. Iceberg/Romaine

lettuce

• Required to introduce one different fruit and vegetable each

month.

• Menu planners discretion, but avoid planning different varieties

of the same fruit/vegetable as focus produce

Fruits # Districts Served (40 participating districts)

Fruits # Districts Served Fruits # Districts Served

Kiwi 27 Guava 9 Figs 4

Pineapple 27 Honeydew 9 Scuppernongs 4

Papaya 22 Pomegranates 9 Apricot 3

Grapefruit 21 Blackberries 8 Nectarine 3

Mango 21 Cranberries 8 Pluots 3

Starfruit 17 Kumquats 8 Rambutan 3

Pears (common, Asian, seckle, red)

17 Muscadines 8 Raspberries 3

Strawberries 16 Pomelo 8 Canary melon 2

Ugli fruit 16 Persimmon 7 Minneolas / tangelo 2

Canteloupe 13 Lemon/lime 6 Dates 1

Watermelon 13 Cherries 5 Jackfruit 1

Plums (common, purple, lemon, black)

12 Peaches 5 Kiwiberries 1

Blueberries 11 Dragonfruit 4 Madarinquats 1

Uncommon Fruits (SY16-17)

Uncommon Vegetables (SY16-17)Vegetables # Districts Served Vegetables # Districts Served Vegetables # Districts Served

Cauliflower (common, tricolored)

24 Sugar snap peas 10 Beets 3

Sweet potato (common, red, purple, mini)

19 Avocado 9 Onions (yellow, green, shallot)

3

Zucchini 19 Brussel sprouts 9 Endive 2

Radish (common, Easter egg, watermelon)

17 Parsnips 9 Golden beets 2

Squash (yellow, chayote, baby, Seminole)

17 Bell pepper (green, red, yellow)

8 Rutabaga 2

Cucumbers (common, English)

16 Bok choy 8 Artichokes 1

Pepper (green, red, poblano, tri colored)

16 Butternut squash 8 Arugula 1

Jicama 15 Mushrooms (common, portabella)

8 Bean sprouts 1

Celery 14 Spinach 8 Bitter melon 1

Corn (common, baby, roasted)

14 Eggplant 7 Purple yams 1

Kale 14 Pumpkin 6 Radicchio 1

Snow peas 12 Daikon 5 Sea beans 1

Cabbage (green, purple, red)

11 Green beans (Hericotverts, pole)

5 Swiss chard 1

Edamame 11 Turnips 5 Turnip greens 1

Asparagus 10 Potato (purple, fingerling) 4

Not Allowed

• Processed or preserved fruits and vegetables (i.e., canned, frozen, or dried)

• Dip for fruit

• Fruit or vegetable juice

• Snack type fruit products (i.e., fruit strips, fruit drops, and fruit leather)

• Jellied fruit

• Trail mix

• Nuts

• Cottage cheese

• Fruit or vegetable pizza

• Smoothies

• Fruit that has added flavorings including fruit that has been injected with flavorings (i.e., grapples)

• Carbonated fruit

Program Limits

• Cooked Vegetables

• Fresh (not canned, frozen, dried otherwise processed)

• Limited to one time per week

• Must always include a nutrition education lesson related to the prepared item

• Dips for Vegetables

• 1-2 tablespoons

• Low-fat

• Non-fat

Agreement

• Agreements must be received

before first FFVP claim is

submitted

• Agreement must be mailed,

have original signatures, and be

approved by the State Office

Claims for Reimbursement

• Claims filed monthly

• Submit claims to

• Check for Accuracy:

• Purchase order dates

• Received dates

• Dressings are not listed as “low” or “non/fat-free”

• Items are allowable

• Due by the 20th day of the following month

• Late claims are subject to a One Time Exception (same as NSLP)

Claim Form

Operating Costs

• Include:

• Food Items (i.e., fruit, vegetables)

• Non Food Items (i.e., napkins, paper plates, garbage liners, etc.)

• Delivery Charges

• Staff Salaries (preparing, serving, and cleaning)

• **No Small Supplies claims should be submitted

after April claim**

Administrative Costs

• Include:

• Larger Equipment (i.e., refrigerators, coolers, portable kiosks, carts, portable food bars, baskets, etc.)—must prorate as appropriate

• Salaries and fringe benefits for employees who compile and maintain claims and other financial reports, plan menus, order produce, track inventory, and coordinate nutrition promotion activities.

• Limited to 10% of total grant award

• Should not be exhausted during 1st quarter

• **No administrative claims for equipment allowed after Jan claim**

Equipment Purchases

• Equipment Purchase Request

must be submitted and approved

by SA prior to purchase for:

• Larger Equipment (i.e.,

refrigerators, coolers, portable

kiosks, portable food bars, etc.)

Unspent Funds

• Spend 1st allocation (July-Sept) by the end of September

• Spend 2nd allocation (Oct-June) by the end of June

• Contact State Department if you anticipate having unspent

funds (1st and 2nd allocation)

• Unspent funds will result in a reduction of you allocation

• this means your 10% of administrative costs will be reduced as well

Unspent Funds• Each school must spend their total grant allocation

• Any school with an excess of unspent funds may be declined

for participation in FFVP in the future

• Unspent funds will be reallocated to desiring schools at the

end of the school year

• Funds that remain unspent by the state must be returned to

USDA and may result in the state receiving less funding in

upcoming school years

CNP Funds Must Be Used For

• Items that are not allowable under FFVP

• Any amount spent over allocation

• Late claims (unless covered by an OTE)

Budgeting Tips

• Be sure expenses are allowable before making purchases

• Use a monthly budget to ensure you are spending appropriately

• Ex: 1st Allocation of $3,000: If no purchases in July—will need to spend

approximately $1,500 in August and $1,500 in September

• Ex: 2nd Allocation of $8,000: If no purchases in June—will need to

spend approximately $1,000 each month

(adjust to cover “slow” months such as December and January)

• Use the balance spreadsheet from your monthly claim to help

manage your budget

State Monitoring (Review)

• Included in Administrative Reviews

• Review Claims for:

• Majority of funds used to purchase fresh produce

• Equipment purchases are carefully reviewed and justified

• Labor costs and all other non-food costs are minimal

• All operating and administrative cost guidance is followed

• Minimum serving days/week are being met

• Focus fruit/vegetable is being offered

• **FFVP is “widely publicized” within each school**

• USDA and State guidance followed

“Widely Publicized”

• Bulletins

• Announcements

• Maintain log to validate

FFVP was announced

• School website/sign

• Social media

• Etc…

USDA NON-DISCRIMINATION

STATEMENT

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of AgricultureOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights1400 Independence Avenue, SWWashington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Questions?