Food services director outlines USDA commodity use and menu timeline

Prosser School District's food services director, Darlene Marra, briefed the board on USDA commodities and the menu-planning timeline for the coming school year, noting the district must file projections with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to receive entitlement allocations.

Marra described three ways entitlement dollars are used: the Department of Defense fruit-and-vegetable program (DOD), a "brown box" of proteins (meat, eggs, cheese) that requires processing and delivery fees, and minimally processed USDA foods (frozen fruits and vegetables, canned goods). She explained entitlement dollars are calculated from the number of meals served in the prior year and said the district has seen incremental increases in meal counts over recent years.

The director said recent federal nutrition guidance changes have increased emphasis on protein and will affect menu planning and budgets because protein items often cost more. Marra said she hoped OSPI or state-level guidance would provide additional grant or entitlement adjustments to help districts adapt but that she had not yet heard of any new funding.

Board members asked whether the new guidance would bring additional money and how processing fees are handled; Marra said some brown-box items require payment to OSPI for processing and delivery and noted the district covers those fees. The board did not take any action; Marra asked for questions and will proceed with the established projection timeline.