Recipient agencies (RAs) are required to request and accept no more commodities than they can store and use without waste before the “best if used by date.”  When a recipient agency (RA) finds it has more of a product that it can use, it should contact other like RAs in the area to see if they would like to take some of the product. Once another recipient agency (RA) is found who is willing to take the product, call the Commodity Distribution Unit (CDU) for approval.

Transfers of USDA commodity foods generally are only authorized between like agencies. This means school to school or school to child care facility or child care to child care, or school to child care or child care to school, for example.  There are times when the the Commodity Distribution Unit (CDU) program administrator will approve transfer to an unlike category.

All transfers must be authorized by the Commodity Distribution Unit (CDU) before they are made.

It is important to comply with these rules. When you call to request the transfer, have the pack date of the product and amount of the product you wish to transfer available.

Only the programs administrator or a social services inspector can authorize a transfer.