New Jersey Farm to School Procurement Initiative

Schools must purchase unprocessed/minimally processed foods direct from a farmer/producer or through a food distributor.

Below is a resource list of food distributors, familiar with the NJ Farm to School Procurement funding, that can provide delivered unprocessed/minimally processed NJ products: 

Food Distributor Resource List

Schools may also use the following resource to identify local farms by county. Farms included in this directory have requested to be listed and are interested in working with schools for direct purchasing:

Local Farm Directory 

*The resource list will be updated throughout the duration of the grant

Reference sheet for procurement

Federal Funds Procurement Method Selection Chart

Reference sheet for Food Service Management Companies with Fixed Price contract 

Fixed Price Reference Sheet 

Do I need the farm/producer on the receipt?     

answer: Yes, your receipt/purchase order should specify what farm/producer the item came from. Please write your RA# and school district on the receipt/purchase order with your signature.

What if I use a food distributor who procures from multiple farmers?

answer: The vendors on our resource list have agreed to list the farms in which the food has been sourced on your invoice and/or catalog. 

Will every invoice be reviewed?                                                                                                   

answer: Yes, each invoice will be reviewed to verify the funds have been used correctly. Invoices should be uploaded as a PDF & emailed to NJDAF2SPI@ag.nj.gov

Can an invoice be rejected?                                                                                                     

answer: Yes, if an invoice does not meet the parameters of the funding the reimbursement will be denied.

Does the receipt need to be itemized?                                                                                     

answer: Yes, if purchasing from a small business that does not produce itemized receipts you can provide them a purchase order to complete.

What account will the grant funding be deposited into?                                                   

answer: The non-profit food service account. Schools should keep a separate accounting of the NJ Farm to School Procurement Initiative funds.

Where does the revenue get posted? 

answer: The funds will be recorded to either the school districts' Federal Breakfast or School Lunch depending on how the funds were used.  

If we accept the funding and do not use it, is there a penalty?                                              

answer: No, there is no penalty for not using the funding.

Do procurement rules apply?                                                                                                        

answer: Yes, *the funding may follow the informal and/or small purchase quotation procedures. Federal Funds Procurement Method Selection Chart

Where can we purchase unprocessed/minimally processed foods?                                          

SFA's can purchase minimally processed foods direct from a farmer/producer or food distributor. 

Find Jersey Fresh
Find Jersey Fresh is the search engine hosted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture that allows you to find growers and distributors of wholesale New Jersey produce. You can search by business name, county or item. Please always call the business before visiting.

NJ Farm Bureau Directory of New Jersey Produce Growers
This directory of produce growers is searchable by produce name, town, farm name and county.

Visit NJ Farms
Search this database for farm activities, farmers markets, nursery/greenhouse, and pick-your-own.