Storage and inventory management. The distributing agency must ensure compliance with requirements in §§ 250.12 and 250.13 in order to ensure the safe and effective storage and inventory management of donated foods, and their efficient and cost-effective distribution to school food authorities. The school food authority must ensure compliance with requirements in § 210.13 of this chapter and §§ 250.13 and 250.14 to ensure the safe and sanitary storage, inventory management, and use of donated foods and purchased foods. In accordance with § 250.14(c), the school food authority may commingle donated foods and purchased foods in storage and maintain a single inventory record of such commingled foods, in a single inventory management system.

Use of donated foods in the nonprofit school food service. The school food authority must use donated foods, as much as is practical, in the lunches served to schoolchildren, for which they receive an established per-meal value of donated food assistance each school year. However, the school food authority may also use donated foods in other activities of the nonprofit school food service. Revenues received from such activities must accrue to the school food authority's nonprofit school food service account, in accordance with § 210.14 of this chapter. Some examples of such activities in which donated foods may be used include:

School breakfasts or other meals served in child nutrition programs;

A la carte foods sold to schoolchildren;

Meals served to adults directly involved in the operation and administration of the nonprofit school food service, and to other school staff; and

Training in nutrition, health, food service, or general home economics instruction for students.

Use of donated foods outside of the nonprofit school food service. The school food authority should not use donated foods in meals or other activities that do not benefit primarily schoolchildren, such as banquets or catered events. However, as their use in such activities may not always be avoided (e.g., if donated foods are commingled with purchased foods in a single inventory management system), the school food authority must ensure reimbursement to the nonprofit school food service for the value of donated foods used in such activities. When such reimbursement may not be based on actual usage of donated foods (e.g., in a single inventory management system), the school food authority must establish an alternate method of reimbursement—e.g., by including the current per-meal value of donated food assistance in the price charged for the meal or other activity.

Use of donated foods in a contract with a food service management company. When the school food authority contracts with a food service management company to conduct the food service, in accordance with § 210.16 of this chapter, it must ensure compliance with requirements in subpart D of this part, which address the treatment of donated foods under such contract. The school food authority must also ensure compliance with the use of donated foods in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section under its contract with a food service management company.

School food authorities acting as a collective unit. Two or more school food authorities may conduct activities of the nonprofit school food service as a collective unit (e.g., in a school co-op or consortium), including activities relating to donated foods. Such activities must be conducted in accordance with a written agreement or contract between the parties. The school food authority collective unit is subject to the same requirements as a single school food authority in conducting such activities. For example, the school food authority collective unit may use a single inventory management system in its storage and control of purchased and donated foods.