§ 250.14 - Storage and inventory management at the recipient agency level.

§ 250.14 Storage and inventory management at the recipient agency level.

(a) Safe storage and control. Recipient agencies must provide facilities for the storage and control of donated foods that protect against theft, spoilage, damage, or other loss. Accordingly, such storage facilities must maintain donated foods in sanitary conditions, at the proper temperature and humidity, and with adequate air circulation. Recipient agencies must ensure that storage facilities comply with all Federal, State, or local requirements relative to food safety and health and procedures for responding to a food recall, as applicable, and obtain all required health inspections.

(b) Inventory management - household programs. Recipient agencies in household programs must store donated foods in a manner that permits them to be distinguished from other foods in storage, and must maintain a separate inventory record of donated foods. Such recipient agencies' system of inventory management must ensure that donated foods are distributed to recipients in a timely manner that permits use of such foods while still in optimal condition. Such recipient agencies must notify the distributing agency of donated food losses and take further actions with respect to such food losses, as directed by the distributing agency.

(c) Inventory management - child nutrition programs and charitable institutions. Recipient agencies in child nutrition programs, and those receiving donated foods as charitable institutions, in accordance with § 250.67, are not required to store donated foods in a manner that distinguishes them from purchased foods or other foods, or to maintain a separate inventory record of donated foods - i.e., they may utilize single inventory management, as defined in § 250.2. For such recipient agencies, donated foods are subject to the same safeguards and effective management practices as other foods. Accordingly, recipient agencies in child nutrition programs and those receiving donated foods as charitable institutions (regardless of the inventory management system utilized), are not required to separately monitor and report donated food use, distribution, or loss to the distributing agency, unless there is evidence indicating that donated food loss has occurred as a result of theft or fraud.

(d) Transfer of donated foods to another recipient agency. A recipient agency operating a household program must request approval from the distributing agency to transfer donated foods at its storage facilities to another recipient agency. The distributing agency may approve such transfer to another recipient agency in the same household program (e.g., the transfer of TEFAP foods from one food pantry to another) without FNS approval. However, the distributing agency must receive FNS approval to permit a recipient agency in a household program to transfer donated foods to a recipient agency in a different program (e.g., the transfer of TEFAP foods from a food pantry to a CSFP local agency), even if the same recipient agency administers both programs. A recipient agency operating a child nutrition program, or receiving donated foods as a charitable institution, in accordance with § 250.67, may transfer donated foods to another recipient agency or charitable organization without approval from the distributing agency or FNS. However, the recipient agency must still maintain records of donated food inventories.

(e) Commercial storage facilities. Recipient agencies may obtain the services of commercial storage facilities to store and distribute donated foods, but must do so in compliance with procurement requirements in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D, and USDA implementing regulations at 2 CFR parts 400 and 416, as applicable. Recipient agencies must ensure that commercial storage facilities comply with all of the applicable requirements in this section regarding the storage and inventory management of donated foods.