Content Type: FNS Policy
Intended Audience: All CACFP Operators
Date: 6/6/2025
Dear Program Operator,
On May 6, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released policy memorandum CACFP 09-2025 Using Federal Funds to Purchase Local Foods. Please review the memorandum for complete information, but below we summarize some of the most important details.
The purpose of this memorandum is to remind program operators of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in their meal programs. Operators can infuse new energy and vision into their Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operations by sourcing and serving locally grown foods and incorporating other farm to school activities.
This memorandum provides voluntary strategies for purchasing local foods with meal reimbursements, which include:
- Geographic Preference Option (may use one, both, or neither):
- Using local (defined by the operator) as a specification for procuring unprocessed agricultural products, by including a written description or specification that a vendor must meet to be considered responsive to a solicitation.
- Using a defined scoring advantage by including additional credit or points for local unprocessed agricultural products during the evaluation of responses to a solicitation.
- Targeting Local Food through Purchasing Methods:
- CNP operators may use the informal procurement methods (micropurchase and small purchase) as defined by Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), Section 200.320(a) to procure local foods by contacting only local producers or vendors offering local foods.
- CNP operators should conduct market research to verify that the product is locally available, that the planned purchase or purchases are within the applicable thresholds (e.g., micropurchase or small purchase), and confirm that the producers or vendors of the local foods can also meet all other solicitation requirements and specifications.
- Targeting Local Food through Product Specifications and Technical Requirements.
- CNP operators may incorporate technical requirements associated with locally grown, raised, or caught foods, when using the small purchase and formal procurement methods if their requirements do not overly restrict competition.
When purchasing goods, including local foods, for program meals and snacks, program operators must use full and open competition, per 2 CFR, Section 200.319. Program operators may use any allowable procurement method to purchase local foods. The methods of procurement are located within 2 CFR, Section 200.320.
Additional Resources
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) offers a variety of policy memos, fact sheets, and other resources to support local procurement. These resources are available on the USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program’s Procuring Local Foods web page.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the Community Procurement Unit by email at ProcurementCACFP@dss.ca.gov.
Thank you,
Child and Adult Care Food Program Branch
Family Engagement and Empowerment Division
California Department of Social Services
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