Food Distribution Program Frequently Asked Questions

1 02/21/24

Food Distribution Program (FDP) Frequently Asked Questions

Gaining Access

Question: Who do I contact to get a Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System

(CLiCS) username and password updated?

Answer: To add new staff or make changes to existing staff, complete the CLiCS User ID Request Form found on

the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website.

Question: Where on the CLiCS landing page do I go to order USDA Foods?

Answer: The CLiCS landing page should have five blue hyper-links. The links called “Child Nutrition Programs”

and “Food Distribution School year 2021 and Later” will take you to CLiCS for USDA Foods ordering location.

Once logged into CLiCS, the “FDP” option will show at the bottom of the navigation bar on the left. Select “FDP”.

Stores

Question: When do the stores open?

Answer: Stores generally open the first week of March. School Food Authorities (SFAs) are encouraged to prep

for the shop by analyzing menus and previ ous USDA Foods usage to understand the type and quantity of USDA

Foods to order

Question: Will we receive an email when we can start to order USDA Foods?

Answer: MDE will announce store opening in the bulletin. MDE does not send targeted emails to announce store

openings. To sign up for the bulletin or view past bulletins, go to the Food and Nutrition’s Connect with Us

webpage.

Question: How is an SFA be notified when a bonus “stores” opens?

Answer: MDE will inform SFAs of bonus shop opportunities in the bulletin. Bonus stores will only be available

after the fall shopping event and use any remaining State entitlement after fall shopping.

Question: Once the items are in the cart, how do I save?

Answer: There is no save or submit button. Food items in the shopping cart will be locked in at 11 p.m. on the

day the store closes.

2 02/21/24

Question: Can prices in the shopping cart can change when the food is actually

ordered?

Answer: Yes. The prices listed in the stores are a 12-month average from the previous year. SFA’s order foods

based on this price but are charged the market price when food is actually shipped from U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA). This may cause some SFA’s entitlement to go negative. MDE does not penalize or cancel

foods for sponsors with negative entitlement balances.

Question: I wasn’t able to go negative with my cart, is that correct?

Answer: Correct. SFA’s cannot intentionally order into the negative.

Entitlement

Question: Is there any way to guarantee that districts will not lose entitlement

dollars?

Answer: The best way to ensure an SFA receives the most complete entitlement usage is to place orders for

USDA foods during both spring and fall shops, and regularly monitor the CLiCS entitlement screen to view, track

and manage the USDA food order. Food price fluctuations that occur when the state orders trucks can affect

entitlement.

Question: When are entitlement dollars swept?

Answer: After the fall shopping shop is closed, remaining entitlement balances will be indicated in CLICS but will

not be available for use. MDE uses any remaining entitlement to put towards price increases when USDA places

an order. There can be as much as nine months difference from when food was shoped to when it is ordered,

and prices frequently increase during that time period. If there is any entitlement remaining, MDE may order

bonus USDA Foods trucks to exhaust the entitlement.

Question: How are the entitlement dollar amounts determined each year?

Answer: Entitlement dollars are based on the number of reimbursable student meals served from the previous

school year. Spring shop meal counts are based on an estimation and may change in the fall when meal counts

are finalized from the previous year.

Question: What is the best way to make use of SFA entitlement?

Answer: Spring shops offer SFAs a wider variety of products than the fall, and therefore have less of an inherent

risk of trucks not being ordered because of less demand. In the fall shop, fewer products are offered to SFAs, but

the products commonly have a high demand so there is less risk of not fulfilling a full truck. In the USDA Foods

program, it is virtually impossible to shop and order exact truck loads for each food product. In order to best

utilize your entitlement dollars, SFAs are encouraged to regularly monitor the entitlement screen and order food

in both the spring and fall shopping opportunities.

Question: What happens to entitlement balances after the spring? And after the fall?

Answer: There will always be some changes after both spring and fall shopping due to truck rounding, i.e., some

food orders are increased to “fill” a truck, and some food orders are reduced to compensate for an over-filled

truck. Entitlement will continue to fluctuate as trucks are ordered and the prices are updated.

3 02/21/24

Monitoring Food and Product

Question: How does an SFA know when a truck is not filled and product not ordered?

Answer: Once the stores close, MDE will process USDA Foods requests and determine truck numbers and size.

MDE then orders trucks based on demand. It not possible to forecast ahead of time what products will be

ordered. The Monitor Food Movement screen in CLiCS will reflect the order status and quantities of requested

USDA Foods. SFAs will not be notified individually of any products that were not ordered.

Question: Will SFA’s receive orders in the month selected during shopping?

Answer: MDE orders food based on demand. Lower demand foods may have multiple months of requested food

on one truck.

Question: How will the SFA check on what food is have coming and keep track of what

food is left to come?

Answer: In CLICS, there is a Monitor Food Movement screen that displays information on the number of cases

ordered, the status of the order, and any changes to the order.

Distributor

Question: When is the deadline for notifying MDE of our distributor?

Answer: SFA’s should assign their distributor in the participant profile by end of June, before food arrives at the

warehouse.

Question: Do SFA’s need to confirm our distributor the same from last year?

Answer: Yes. You will need to confirm your distributor every year.

Food Service Organizations and Caterers

Question: I am an SFA who uses a meal vendor. Does the shopping cart apply to me?

Answer: SFAs that contract with a food service management or vended meal company should work with that

vendor to order the USDA Foods according to their contract.

Question: When an SFA goes out to bid during a school year, if a new (food service

management or vended meal) company is awarded the bid, who is responsible for the

USDA Foods that were ordered and managed by a previous company on behalf of the

SFA?

Question: The responsibility of the management of meal contracts and the USDA Foods program will always fall

on the SFA. The contract should stipulate USDA Foods distribution, and the SFA should work with the vendor.

Food that was ordered for the SFA will still be delivered. The new vendor must credit the SFA for the value of

food, regardless of whether it was used in meal preparation for that SFA or not.

4 02/21/24

Problems with Food

Question: What if an SFA receives food items they didn’t order and don’t want?

Answer: MDE only orders food items that were shopped for. Check your order history for what was shopped for.

SFA’s should also notify their distributor if they received USDA Foods that they did not shop for, the distributor

could possibly have dropped USDA Foods off at the wrong location.

Question: Why am I not receiving USDA Foods?

Answer: MDE places food within 1-2 months of when the food was requested. If an SFA is not receiving food

close to their requested months, this means food may have been sitting at the warehouse. The SFA should

manage their contract with their distributor.

Question: If a school receives a damaged product, the distributor says there is no

credit available because it is not the distributors fault? Who should I contact?

Answer: Contact MDE Food Distribution Program at fns.fdp@state.mn.us or call 651-582-8526.

Processing Diversion

Question: What does processing diversion mean versus direct delivery?

Answer: Direct delivery is a finished food product. An example is sliced peaches in a can delivered directly to

warehouse. Processing diversion is when a bulk food product is sent to a processor to be made into a finished

product. An example is whole chickens sent to Tyson to be made into chicken nuggets.

Question: Will CLiCS do the math for Net Off Invoice (NOI) conversion, or does the SFA

do that before placing the entitlement or pounds for the order?

Answer: CLiCS does not perform the calculations for NOI conversion. SFAs need to use the NOI calculator to

determine the number of pounds needed before ordering in CLiCS.

Question: How is the same food product ordered for multiple processors?

Answer: Add the product to your cart and select the processor. Add the product again to your cart and choose a

different processor.

Question: How do I find the correct processor for NOI food items in the store?

Answer: Processor selection is found on a drop-down menu on the food item page after selecting “add to cart.”

Question: Where can I find information or direction how to order food that was sent

to the processors?

Answer: SFAs can reach out to their distributor, processor representative, or broker.

5 02/21/24

Question: Are remaining diverted pounds wiped out and redistributed each year?

Answer: Any SFA that has a diverted food balance of more than 25 percent will have that balance swept to the

state of Minnesota’s USDA Foods account and redistributed to other SFAs that are able to use these pounds. If

your SFA has a diverted balance under 25 percent, your balance will not be swept. If the SFA has a balance over

25 percent but has a plan to use the product in the next two to four months, please reach out to the FDP team.

Excess balances at processors hurt our overall ordering opportunities as a whole. USDA regularly checks with

processing companies to determine usage. If Minnesota shows a large amount of processed foods that have not

been delivered, it can deny future purchases based on our overall balance. Therefore, we need to ensure the

pounds are used in order for SFAs to continue ordering with NOI.

Question: How does MDE sweep accounts at 25 percent, is it accounts that have only

used 25 percent of their dollars/pounds for a certain item or if there is 25 percent or

more of the remaining unused product?

Answer: Balances of 25 percent or more per product, i.e., chicken, beef, cheese will be swept. Any SFA that has a

diverted balance of more than 25 percent will have that balance swept to the state of Minnesota’s USDA Foods

account and redistributed to other SFAs that are able to use these pounds. If your SFA has a diverted balance

under 25 percent, your balance will not be swept. If the SFA has a balance over 25 percent but has a plan to use

the product in the next two to four months, please reach out to the FDP team.

Question: Will the SFA or vendor receive notice prior to any pounds being swept?

Answer: MDE will not reach out to each individual SFA. SFAs need to monitor the CLICS entitlement screen,

Processor Link, and K-12 to determine their balance and how it will be used.

USDA DoD Fresh

Question: Who should I contact if there is a quality issue with Department of Defense

(DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program?

Answer: Contact these three parties; AJ Warehouse Produce, the DLA Representative and FDP team.

Question: How does the pricing structure work for DoD?

Answer: USDA awards the contract to the DoD vendor. Prices of produce can fluctuate due to the crop, season,

and the fact that DoD products must be grown domestically (in the United States versus foreign countries). The

prices of the produce also include delivery charges, which leads to what seems like higher prices.

Question: What is the minimum amount to order for DoD? Maximum?

Answer: MDE requires at least $300 for DoD participation. DoD orders must be at least $150 per delivery. The

$300 allows for at least two deliveries at a minimum. The maximum amount to put into DoD is your entire

entitlement but this is not recommended. National averages are 15-20 percent of entitlement allocated to DoD.

Question: Can any school order DoD items and how does this work?

Answer: Yes. See the USDA DoD Fresh page of the MDE website on how to participate.