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2018-2019 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Funding Opportunity

Purpose of FFVP

The purpose of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, free of charge, to all enrolled students in elementary schools with the highest percentage of students certified for free and reduced-price benefits.  New York State will allocate $60 per school-year, per enrolled child in the schools selected for funding. Selected schools must start serving fresh fruits and vegetables no later than the second week of operations in the 2018-19 school year.

 

Eligible Applicants

School Food Authorities (SFAs) with (pre-kindergarten through grade 6) elementary schools with 50 percent or more students eligible for free/reduced price lunch.  This is not a competitive process. Priority will be given to applications for elementary schools with the highest percentages of low-income students. This is the key criterion which ensures that the FFVP benefits children that generally have fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. This criterion can not be waived to give all schools an equal chance to participate or to provide geographic dispersion. We will be going down the attached list of highest need schools and awarding schools that submitted complete applications until the funds are fully expended. New York State can choose not to select a high need school if it has concerns with the school’s administration of another child nutrition program or how the FFVP was administered in previous years.

School Food Authorities (SFAs) with (pre-kindergarten through grade 6) elementary schools with 50 percent or more students eligible for free/reduced price lunch.  This is not a competitive process. Priority will be given to applications for elementary schools with the highest percentages of low-income students. This is the key criterion which ensures that the FFVP benefits children that generally have fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. This criterion cannot be waived to give all schools an equal chance to participate or to provide geographic dispersion. We will be awarding highest need schools that submit complete applications until the funds are fully expended. New York State can choose not to select a high need school if it has concerns with the school’s administration of another child nutrition program or how the FFVP was administered in previous years.

*Note to non public schools--Since the FFVP is not included in the child nutrition cluster, acceptance of the funds will entail an agency-wide audit instead of a program-specific audit. Any recipient that expends $750,000 or more in Federal funds must conduct a single audit in accordance with A-133. The additional audit requirement may require you to reconsider your interest in applying for or accepting these awarded funds.   

For questions regarding the funding opportunity contact Meghan Lanzetta at (518) 473-8781 or meghan.lanzetta@nysed.gov via email.

*Note to non public schools--Since the FFVP is not included in the child nutrition cluster, acceptance of the funds will entail an agency-wide audit instead of a program-specific audit. Any recipient that expends $750,000 or more in Federal funds must conduct a single audit in accordance with A-133. The additional audit requirement may require you to reconsider your interest in applying for or accepting these awarded funds.  

Applicants with questions regarding the funding opportunity should contact Meghan Lanzetta at (518) 473-8781 or meghan.lanzetta@nysed.gov via e-mail.

 

Due Date

Applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2018 and mailed to:

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

New York State Education Department

Child Nutrition Program Administration

89 Washington Avenue-Room 375EBA

Albany, NY 12234

 

 

Introduction

New York State will once again be included in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for the 2018-2019 school year due to the passage of the Farm Bill (the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008) which became law on May 22, 2008 (P.L. 110-234).  Section 4304 of P.L. 110-234 amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) by adding section 19, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

 

Program Purpose and Requirements

The goal of the FFVP is to:

  • Create healthier school environments by providing additional opportunities for children to make healthier food choices.
  • Expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience.
  • Increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption.
  • Make a difference in children’s diets to impact their present and future health.
  • Encourage nutritious snacking.

Elementary schools that receive funds must serve fresh fruits and vegetables at least two days a week to all pre-kindergarten through grade 6 students enrolled in the school.  Awardees are required to submit monthly claims for reimbursement, evaluations and reports.  Additionally, programs will be observed and regularly evaluated by the NYSED, USDA, and others to determine the effectiveness of the program in changing eating behaviors.

 

Eligible Applicants

School Food Authorities (SFAs) with elementary schools, pre-kindergarten through grade six only, with 50 percent or more students eligible for free/reduced price lunch are eligible to apply. Due to limited funding, and the large number of high need schools in New York State, NYSED will only be able to award funds to those SFAs that submit applications by the due date and have the highest percentage of eligible students enrolled. Funding will be awarded starting with 100% eligibility and continue down the list identifying qualified schools that submitted a complete FFVP application until funds are depleted. This is the key criterion which ensures that the FFVP benefits children that generally have fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.  This criterion can not be waived to give all schools an equal chance to participate or to provide geographic dispersion. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve the health of the children in the community.  The application will serve as a guide to plan how the school will operate if the school is selected.

The SFA must complete a separate application form for each interested elementary school and one combined budget form.  Selected schools must operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and be in good standing with program regulations. Failure to abide by the NSLP regulations throughout the award period could result in immediate loss of the awarded funds and disallowance of FFVP payments. 

SFAs should use data from the January 2018 NSLP submitted claim for reimbursement to obtain the building’s PK-6 enrollment.

 

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Schools

CEP schools will be awarded based on the current application on file. Since the 1.6 multiplier is intended to provide an estimate of the total number of students eligible for free and reduced price meals in eligible schools, the product of the identified student percentage multiplied by 1.6 will be used for purposes of awarding FFVP funds. Schools in local educational agencies (LEAs) electing the CEP for the entire LEA or as part of a group of schools electing the CEP with a shared identified percentage must still use the individual school CEP percentage for purposes of awarding FFVP funds.

 

Registration in Federal System for Award Management (SAM)

In order to be awarded federal funds, an agency must be registered (and then maintain a current registration) in the federal System for Award Management known as SAM (http://www.sam.gov). SAM is a government-wide, web-enabled database that collects, validates, stores and disseminates business information about organizations receiving federal funds.

 

Funding Requirements

The catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for the FFVP is 10.582.

  • The funding period is from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.
  • Selected elementary schools will receive $60 per enrolled student.
  • The fresh fruits and vegetables must be provided separately from the lunch or breakfast meal in one or more areas of the school during the school day. The items may be delivered and served in the classroom, served in the hall or in the cafeteria outside of meal hours.
  • Reimbursement is not based on the number of students served free fresh fruits and vegetables.  Rather, the monthly claim is based on reimbursable allowable costs. It is the expectation that all eligible students will be provided access to the FFVP.

In order to receive payments, awarded schools will be required to submit an online claim in the Child Nutrition Management System (CNMS) monthly (similar to the existing NSLP claim process) and email a monthly menu supporting the submitted claim which should show the produce served at the SFA that month. A demonstration of this online claiming system will be shown during the FFVP webinar for awarded SFAs which will be announced at a later date.

 

Method of Awarding

Completed applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2018 in order to be considered for the award.  Funds will be awarded to SFAs with elementary schools with the highest percentages of free and reduced price eligibles, providing schools meet the remaining qualifications. In the event that two or more schools have the exact same percentage of students certified for free and reduced-price benefits, awards will be made proportionally to all schools for an amount no lower than $60 per enrolled student. If funding is not sufficient to cover enrollment in grades pre-kindergarten through 6th at all schools, awards will start with students in pre-kindergarten and will continue as long as funding is sufficient to cover the entire grade.

Guidance on how to complete the application will be offered to schools needing assistance. Completed applications that have the support of the school administration and include a budget form, and an agreement addendum must be postmarked by April 30, 2018 in order to be considered for the award. Awardees will then be notified by telephone and will be required to attend a FFVP orientation webinar. The short orientation will ensure all participating schools are fully aware of how the FFVP must be administered when schools open for the 2018-2019 school year and the procedures for submitting online claims in CNMS.

 

Allowable Program Costs

Allowable program costs include operating costs and administrative costs.

A.  Operating Costs

These are the costs of running the service of the FFVP.  They include expenses for acquiring, delivering, preparing and serving FFV.  Please note FFVP funds cannot be used to purchase nutrition education materials or for promotional activities.  Schools should find other funds for the cost of these items. Allowable operating costs include:

  • Buying fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Buying nonfood items needed to serve the fresh fruits and vegetables (napkins, paper plates, serving bowls, trays, cleaning supplies, trash bags).
  • Value added services (pre-cut produce, ready-made produce trays, delivery charges).
  • Salaries and fringe benefits for employees participating in program preparation for the FFVP, including washing and chopping produce, preparing trays, distributing produce to classrooms, setting up kiosks, cleaning up, etc.

B.  Administrative Costs

Administrative costs are limited to ten percent of the total award by building (recipient agency). SFAs will be required to submit the breakdown of administrative costs spent for each individual school building receiving an award. Administrative costs include expenses for planning, managing paperwork, obtaining equipment and maintaining the program, not related to the preparation or service of fresh fruits and vegetables. The FFVP should be structured so that the maximum benefits go to the children.  Administrative costs include:

  • Purchasing or leasing equipment such as refrigerators, portable kiosks, carts and portable food bars, etc. Written justification must be provided and approved by SED to support the purchase. Equipment purchased with FFVP funds that will be used in other school feeding programs must be prorated among the programs.
  • Salaries and fringe benefits for employees who compile and maintain claims for reimbursement and other financial reports, plan and write memos, order produce, track inventory and coordinate nutrition promotion activities.

Applicants with questions as to whether a specific cost is allowable should contact Meghan Lanzetta at (518) 473-8781 or meghan.lanzetta@nysed.gov via e-mail.

 

Requirements

  • All selected schools are encouraged to start serving FFV during the first week of operations in the 2018-19 school year, but must serve them by the end of the second week.
  • All selected schools are expected to widely publicize within the school the availability of free fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (FFV) cannot be served as a component of the reimbursable meal or during meal service, or at the same time as the service of the breakfast or lunch or afterschool/extended day snack program.
  • All FFV are served free of charge to all enrolled children in grades pre-kindergarten-6th.
  • Other products on their own or commingled with other foods, such as in trail mix, are not allowed.
  • FFV must be available to ALL students (PK-6) any time during the school day.
  • Leftovers may be recycled; however, every effort should be made to use FFV in the FFVP.
  • FFV cannot be used as a reward or gift.
  • Children cannot be denied access to the FFVP for disciplinary reasons.
  • Teachers directly responsible for serving the fruit or vegetable to their students in a classroom setting may consume the FFV since they are role models. The FFVP is not available to the general teacher population and other adults in the school.
  • The FFV must be consumed at school, not taken home.
  • Mixed fresh fruit salads made by the school are allowable.
  • Dips for fresh vegetables are allowed, but should be low fat and in minimal portion.  (A maximum serving size of 1-2 tablespoons of dip is recommended.)
  • Salsa made at the school as part of a nutrition lesson is allowed.

The following are not allowed:

  • Processed or preserved fruits and vegetables (this includes all canned, frozen, or vacuum packed FFV).
  • Trail mixes
  • Dried fruits such as raisins
  • Smoothies
  • Dips for fruits
  • Fruit leathers
  • Jellied fruit
  • Full-strength/purchased, or reconstituted store-bought fruit or vegetable juices
  • Fruit desserts (such as fruit pizzas made with cookie dough crust, and fruit tarts).
  • Salsa made fresh at the store (store-bought salsa)
  • Cooked fruits and vegetables, unless they are part of a classroom lesson.
     

Serving Practices

There are several ways that fresh fruits and vegetables can be distributed to students and teachers. Each school will choose the practices that best suit their building and students. The distribution of FFV should be consistent with school wellness policies.  The following methods are suggested:

  • Inside classrooms (best way to control process)
  • Hallways
  • The nurse’s office or school office
  • Cafeteria (buffet table set up in a.m. or p.m.)
  • As a part of nutrition education activities
  • Kiosks (easy access)

** Some FFVP schools have found classroom delivery to be the most successful method because it fits into classroom schedules with little learning interruption. **

 

Procurement and “Buy American Provision”

The FFVP is subject to the same procurement requirements that apply to any purchase from the nonprofit school food service account including the Buy American provision.  Selected schools must follow federal and State procurement regulations and procedures. 

Produce should be purchased from the local growers, farmers’ markets and local grocery stores when possible.

 

Nutrition Education

Schools that participate in the program are expected to implement or continue nutrition education. There are several ways that FFVP can be incorporated into the existing nutrition education curriculum.  Activities should fit the students and the school community.  For example:

  • Plant a school garden or participate in a community garden.
  • Schedule the service of fresh fruits and vegetables as classroom nutrition education activities where children can prepare the FFV with their classmates and teachers.
  • Plan assemblies and/or health fairs.  Have students create displays or newsletters.
  • Promote FFVP on monthly menus.
  • Adopt school lesson plans to include nutrition education.
  • Use student address systems and student broadcasts to share educational information about the importance of eating healthy.
  • Consult FFVP partners to obtain low cost or no cost promotional items (posters, banners, fliers, pamphlets, buttons).
  • Hold a poster contest to promote healthy eating.

 

Required Reports and Records

Awardees will also be required to submit a FFVP End-of-the-Year report to SED.  Awardees should keep all records for three years after the funding ends.  Please be advised that these records must be readily retrievable or immediately available upon request. The following records must be maintained:

  • Addendums/Agreement
  • End-of-the-Year-Reports
  • Menus, Production Records, Invoices, Documented Costs, Monthly Claims
  • Nutrition Education Materials
  • Purchase Order Information-all costs, including labor charged to the FFVP
  • Participating Vendors/Local Farmers
  • Procurement documentation
  • Signed vendor contract if the SFA or any RAs are partnering with a vendor for any services using FFVP money (a copy of this also needs to be provided to SED with the application packet)  

 

Partnerships/Collaboration

Eligible applicants are encouraged to work with others to optimize their programs.  For example, you may work together with the following:

  • local grocers and stores
  • produce associations
  • nutrition trade associations
  • food distributors
  • civic organizations
  • Farm Bureau
  • orchards
  • local farmers’ market
  • media
  • PTA/PTO
  • area businesses
  • wellness committees

 

Food Safety

  • Employees and anyone who is handling the food must be trained in and know proper food safety and sanitation procedures.
  • All local and State health requirements must be followed.
  • All foods that are not to be cooked can not be touched by bare hands.
  • All fruits and vegetables must be washed appropriately.
  • Raw seed sprouts must not be served to highly susceptible populations.

 

Challenges That May Be Incurred

  • Inadequate storage and refrigerator space.
  • Finding reliable suppliers.
  • Student acceptance of some FFV.
  • Kiosks that provide reduced student access, are less sanitary, are time-consuming, or cause confusion depending on location.
  • Cleanup and trash disposal
  • High preparation costs-especially if participation is very high and more food needs to be prepared.

 

Impact of FFVP on Students-What Others Have Found

  • Students ate more fruits and vegetables.
  • Students consumed less high calorie, high fat vending machine snacks.
  • Students had better attention spans and were less hungry throughout the day.
  • There were fewer discipline problems.

 

Documentation

  • We want to know all the great things you are doing! What works, what doesn’t.
  • Remember to take pictures to include in your End-of-the-Year-Report.

 

Resources

Use the free or low cost resources and educational materials that are available from USDA’s Team Nutrition, 5-A-Day and other FFVP partners.

FFVP Handbook:

Other Useful Links: 

Beautiful free posters and resources are available at no charge at the NYSED’s Child Nutrition web site, please visit: http://www.cn.nysed.gov/ to obtain details.

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