The following definitions are taken from 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Chapter 11, Food and Consumer Service, USDA.
ASSESSMENT FEE - a fee charged to recipient agencies (RAs) to assist the state with administrative costs associated with ordering, storing and distributing commodities.
BACKHAUL - transporting commodities from storage in a recipient agency warehouse to a processor for production of an end product such as USDA chicken into chicken nuggets. The Commodity Distribution Unit (CDU) does not permit backhauling from the state warehouse facility.
BONUS COMMODITY - a commodity that is not charged against the state’s entitlement and the recipient agency’s planned assistance level amount.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTION - a non-penal, non-educational public institution. (Penal institutions are defined under JAIL in this section. They can participate as a charitable institution, but are not eligible for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) foods.) A non-profit, tax-exempt, private hospital, or, any other non-profit, non-educational, tax-exempt private institution, such as hospitals and facilities caring for needy infants and children, organized to provide charitable or public welfare services in the same place without marked changes and meeting a definite need in the community by providing a regular meal service. Charitable institutions include any institution defined as “service institution;” “non-residential child care institution;” or “school” that is not a commodity school or does not participate in a child nutrition program.
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS (CNP) - includes the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for Children, the Special Milk Program (SMP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and After School Snack Program.
COMMODITIES - foods provided to the states by USDA for distribution to eligible recipient agencies.
COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION UNIT (CDU) -The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) staff that manages the Food Distribution Program and School Nutrition Programs for Private Schools and Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs).
DISASTER ORGANIZATION - an organization authorized by federal or state officials to help victims of a major disaster or emergency.
EMERGENCY - a catastrophe in any part of the United States that requires federal emergency assistance to supplement state and local efforts to save lives, protect property, health, and safety, or avert or lessen the threat of disaster.
END PRODUCT DATA SCHEDULE - a form used by a food processor to describe the finished end product.
ENTITLEMENT COMMODITY - a USDA donated commodity that is charged against a recipient agency’s planned assistance level.
FISCAL YEAR - the state or federally set dates under which a program operates.
FOOD BANK - an institution that provides food to pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers or other feeding centers that gives meals or food to needy persons on a regular basis as an integral part of its normal activities.
FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE (FNS) - the section of the USDA agency that administers the Food Distribution Program (FDP) and other USDA nutrition programs.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM (FDP) - the federal program under which USDA commodities are given to the state for distribution to recipient agencies.
FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY - either a for-profit business or a non-profit organization that a recipient agency uses to manage the food service. A written contract between the food service management company and the recipient agency is required to be provided to CDU.
TYPE "A" COMMODITIES - fruits, vegetables, and meats.
TYPE "B" COMMODITIES - grains, dairy products, peanut and oil products.
IN-KIND REPLACEMENT - foods used to replace USDA donated foods that are lost. Replacement foods must be in the same amount, of U.S. origin, of equal or better quality, and at least equal in price to the foods that were lost.
INVENTORY - both the amount and type of USDA donated foods a recipient agency has on hand and the way a recipient agency accounts for supplies of donated foods.
JAIL - an adult correctional institution or juvenile detention facility that conducts a rehabilitation program for a majority of the sentenced inmates. The program must allow at least 10 hours participation in rehabilitative activities per week per inmate of either a majority of the total inmate population or a majority of the sentenced inmates.
NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM (NSLP) - a federal program under which participating schools operate a non-profit lunch program. Participating schools receive a cash reimbursement and USDA donated commodities for lunches served.
OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (OKDHS) - the state agency responsible for administering the USDA Donated Foods Program in the State of Oklahoma.
OUT OF CONDITION FOODS - foods that are infested, deteriorated, contaminated or otherwise unfit to eat.
PLANNED ASSISTANCE LEVEL (PAL) - the dollar value of non-bonus commodities that schools, summer food service programs, Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) can plan to receive during the fiscal year. The Commodity Distribution Unit determines the PAL amount using a formula that includes:
- a rate of assistance provided by USDA; and
- participation data provided for the total number of meals served in the prior year.
PERPETUAL INVENTORY - a written daily accounting record used to document the receipt and usage of commodity foods.
PROCESSING - converting commodities into a different end product, such as whole chickens made into chicken nuggets.
RECIPIENT AGENCY (RA) - a school, agency, or organization that contracts with OKDHS to receive USDA donated commodities. A recipient agency may receive commodities for its own use or for distribution to eligible recipients.
SCHOOL FOOD AUTHORITY - the governing body responsible for the administration of one or more schools that operate a nonprofit lunch program.
SCHOOL YEAR - the period of time from July 1 through June 30.
SHORTAGES OR SHORTS - commodity shipments with missing items.
SIMILAR REPLACEMENT - the replacement of lost USDA donated foods with similar foods of U.S. origin of the same types as those donated by USDA and of at least equal dollar value.
SOUP KITCHEN - a public or charitable institution that maintains an established feeding operation for needy homeless people on a regular basis as an integral part of its normal activities.
STATE DISTRIBUTING AGENCY (SDA) - a state agency authorized by USDA to distribute donated foods to eligible recipient agencies and recipients. In Oklahoma, OKDHS is the SDA.
THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP) - a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income needy persons, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost.
TRANSFER - taking commodities from one recipient agency (RA)and sending them to another recipient agency (RA) with Commodity Distribution Unit (CDU) prior approval.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) - the federal agency responsible for the administration of the Food Distribution Program.