School Services of Montana Co-op Food Program
FALL 2020 ORDER WINDOW
May 1 - 28, 2020
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
MEMO 3 OVERVIEW: order worksheet abbreviations & notations | bid item changes | Product Nutrition Database | delivery minimums | link to Fall 2020 web page | 1-on-1 appointments
Greetings!

It amazes me that so much effort can be put into bid prep only to have things change in the middle of an order window. I have a few item updates y'all need to know about, plus some pertinent info about the program that will make YOUR JOB SO MUCH EASIER. Here we go!
WORKSHEET INFO
In case you didn't know, there's a few new items and some familiar notations and abbreviations on your Fall 2020 order worksheet:
  • All of the new items have their item # & part of the description in BOLD.
  • Items sold by the pound (esp. in the meat & poultry categories) now have a note in bold: price per lb fixed. The case pack size can vary slightly, but the per pound price is fixed.
  • An asterisk * after an item name (i.e. BAGEL-*) means it is Smart Snack compliant.
  • GRN EQ = grain equivalent per serving
  • M/MA = meat / meat alternative per serving (eggs & cheese are considered an MA)
  • WG = whole grain, IW = individually wrapped, GF = gluten free, SS = shelf stable
  • IQF = individually quick frozen (typically for bulk items so it's easy to take out what you want to cook/heat instead of thawing the entire case/bag)
FALL 2020 ITEM UPDATES
  • ITEM 110 - FRENCH TOAST STICKS: this item differs from item 256 in that is an unglazed, egg-free product produced in a nut-free facility. The corrected product is Rich's 37722.
  • ITEM 604 - BREAKFAST STICK: Tyson discontinued this item that used to contain turkey bacon, egg, & cheese. The replacement, also a Tyson product, only has egg & cheese and is topped with maple cheddar. This has been updated in the Marketplace & will differ from what's on your worksheet. The corrected product is Bosco (Tyson) 10024741120.
PRODUCT NUTRITION DATABASE
As many of you know, one of the features of our co-op food program is the Product Nutrition Database, a collection of spec sheets for the food items available through our program. Items can be found by product category (i.e. Bakery Products) and are listed in numerical order by bid item number. Though we have not offered spec sheets for non-food items, I will be adding a folder for Disposables and a folder for Sm. Equipment/Smallwares.

I will be creating the Fall 2020 database this summer & plan to have it available prior to the first delivery period (Aug. 24 - Sept. 11). The link to the database will be added to our website when available and will be shared in the Delivery 1 memo you can expect to receive around Aug. 21.

Links to the 2 previous order items' (Spring 2020 & Fall 2019) product nutrition databases are available on the Fall 2020 Order Info page in the Important Documents & Links section.
DELIVERY MINIMUMS (not to be confused with order minimums)
While other food programs require you to spend a high percentage of your annual nutrition program food budgets on their items, our program does not have an order minimum. Please do not confuse this with a delivery minimum. The fuel surcharges and delivery fees many of you are accustomed to seeing on your invoices (for orders placed outside of this program) are included in the price of the items you purchase through this program. Every school district who places an order is guaranteed delivery direct to their school, and every school received the same price. That said, the minimum order amount for an individual delivery (Delivery 1, 2, 3, or 4) is $500, and if they don't meet that minimum, they will be combined to meet that minimum.

I carefully monitor orders that are placed under $2500 to be sure this minimum is met for each individual delivery. How you want individual deliveries combined is up to you, and I work with you to make those adjustments to your Marketplace order. (Adjustments can also include adding a little to your delivery to meet the $500 minimum if you prefer.)

1-on-1 TRAINING APPOINTMENTS
Appointments are still available for anyone who wants one (I just had one this morning). Need a refresher? Want to walk through the order & checkout process? What's new with the program for the 20-21 school year? I am here for YOU.
I look forward to serving all of you in the 20-21 school year. Feel free to reach out to me with questions or updates, or to schedule an appointment. Thank you to the districts who have already placed their orders, and a special thanks for everything YOU do! I appreciate you all.

Jennifer : )

Jennifer Brekke
Co-op Food Program Manager
jbrekke@mt-schools.org
(406) 624-3336 ext. 0
(406) 580-7547 my cell # (while I WFH)
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