School Services of Montana Co-op Food Program
FALL 2020: INFO & ITEM UPDATES
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Greetings!

Welcome to the latest round of item updates. The manufacturing industry (PPP, food, etc) has been hit hard by COVID-19 in so many ways, it's no surprise there will be changes and expected shortages to some of the items you've ordered for Fall 2020 deliveries. In situations where the price increases are minimal, I'm accepting the changes on your behalf so you don't have gaps in your meal planning.

ITEM 132 CHICKEN PATTIE-Fully cooked, grilled, unbreaded, boneless/skinless, 1 pc = 2 M/MA, IQF (9.75 lb), 52 / 3 oz
AdvancePierre (owned by Tyson) has discontinued this product. The replacement is by Brakebush, mfg # 5990, and this alternative meets the specs required by this bid item. The new case pack size is 61 / 2.62 oz @ $28.11 / case. New Item 132 spec sheet

ITEMS 320 & 321: Smucker's Uncrustables - PB & grape jelly or PB & strawberry jam
Smucker's has alerted distributors to shortages of both of these popular products. Tammie Claassen at US Foods and I will keep you posted on what to expect prior to your deliveries.
MONTANA OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
I found a bunch of info on the OPI website regarding reopening Montana schools guidance that specifically addresses school nutrition. Click here to go to that page, then scroll down and click the dropdown for school nutrition. On June 25, 2020, the USDA released 5 nation-wide waivers for SY 2020-2021 for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program. Links to all 5 waivers are included there.


I hope that helps alleviate some of the stress and frustrations many of you are experiencing. For additional explanations or details, please contact Pam Fruh, OPI Food Distribution Manager, at pamela.fruh@mt.gov or (406) 444-4412.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Tammie Claassen let me know that a draft of the Fall 2020 Delivery 1 schedule will be available approximately August 1st. I'll share that spreadsheet as soon as she sends it to me. Remember, if your scheduled day absolutely does NOT work for you, please contact Tammie immediately so she can work with you on an alternate date.

I'm still working on the 2020-21 Product Nutrition Database, and I plan to have it completed by August 1st. Quite a bit of it is complete, so I've made that part of it available now. : )
My job is to keep you informed as I receive new information that impacts YOU so you can make the best decisions for your food nutrition program and, ultimately, the kiddos you feed. With changes coming weekly (or not at all in some cases), we seem to be stuck in a holding pattern that's driving us all nuts. So I took some advice from Marie Kondo and ordered my favorite pens. (Do they bring me joy? Why yes, yes they do!) Stay tuned for the next round of updates, and hang in there. I appreciate you!

Jennifer : )

Jennifer Brekke
Co-op Food Program Manager
jbrekke@mt-schools.org
(406) 255-7174 New Office VOIP #
(406) 580-7547 cell (best way to reach me)
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