K-12 Where’s the Beef?
Feeser’s step-by-step guide to K12 beef and pork.
Understanding the commodity protein for K-12 schools can be challenging. Our school specialist can help manage the process. Beef and pork order processing requires more steps than net-off-invoice (NOI) or “brown box” direct commodity delivery.
Why? Beef and pork commodities are processed under the modified fee-for-service (MFFS) or Closed-coded NOI models. Regular NOI categories such as chicken, cheese, turkey, etc. can be made into products than can be purchased and distributed to any type of customers such as daycare centers, restaurants, and nursing homes. If these types of businesses aren’t eligible for the commodity allowances, they simply do not receive an NOI discount. The main difference between regular NOI products versus MFFS or closed-coded NOI beef and pork products is the beef and pork products can only be sold to the recipient agency that diverted the commodity pounds
Step One – PA Meals Catalogue
Divert beef and pork on PA Meals for the following school year, assign the pounds to a processor and select Feeser’s as your distributor. You must decide which processor(s) you want to use and divert beef and pork pounds to each processor. You should complete the manufacturer’s commodity calculator for these items. You want to divert enough pounds to meet your needs without overspending your commodity allocation. Overestimating pounds will result in getting more products than you can use/store or leaving commodity dollars unspent. Hold on to that calculator, you’ll need this information!
Feeser’s carries commodity beef and pork items from the following manufacturers.
- Brookwood Farms
- International Foods
- JTM
- Maid Rite
- Tyson
What’s next? Step Two – Hope you saved that calculator!
In July, review the commodity calculator and the items and quantities that you are planning to utilize. If everything looks good, forward the calculator to the broker/manufacturer representative. With supply chain and labor issues, confirm with the broker/manufacturer rep that your selections will be available for the upcoming school year.
The USDA allocations are finalized, and NOI/commodity banks are loaded in July. The broker/manufacturer rep will verify that your pounds were loaded and that your diverted pounds will cover the assigned cases. At this point, the broker/manufacturer rep will send a summary of eligible cases to Feeser’s. Feeser’s will post these cases to the recipient agencies that are eligible to purchase these items.
We’re here to help! Step 3 – Schedule your commodities for delivery with your friendly Feeser’s representative
It’s time to schedule the cases for delivery from Feeser’s! Now that your commodity beef and pork cases are assigned, verified, and posted we can schedule your orders for delivery. It is strongly recommended that you schedule your deliveries at regularly scheduled intervals so you have these items on-hand when you need them. For example, if you have 75 cases of Beef Patties, schedule deliveries for 25 cases the first week of October, 25 cases in December and the last 25 cases in February.
Scheduling these deliveries will also show drawdown and help protect banks from being swept.
Lead times for MFFS/Closed-coded NOI items have gone from 3-4 weeks to 6-8 weeks. Shipping delays can extend the lead time even further, so scheduling can also help alleviate delays.
Have questions? Need help? Please reach out to our Feeser’s K12 Team.
Dan Spence is a School Specialist & K12 Account Coordinator at Feeser’s Food Distributors. He has worked as a Food Service Director, servicing multiple school districts across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Dan has Chaired the State Food Service Committee for the Pennsylvania School Business Officials Association, served as legislative chairperson on the state board of the Pennsylvania School Food Service Association (SNAPa), and was also SNAPa Chapter President, Tri-County Chapter. He is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management. Contact Dan at dspence@feesers.com or 717.564.4636 x1454
Feeser’s Helps You Feed The Future
Feeser’s believes that every student deserves nutritious, delicious meals and we know you do too. That is why we proudly partner with schools across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Feeser’s is prepared to feed students across all age groups. We service Daycare Centers, Preschools, K-12 Schools, Youth Community Centers, Colleges, and Universities. With Feeser’s supplying your kitchen, you can rest assured that you’re serving the best to our future’s brightest. We’ve been schooled on a thing or two with over 120 years of experience in food distribution. Our team is ready to listen to your unique needs and develop a plan to deliver success to your kitchen.