7 CFR 226.5 – Donation of commodities
(a) USDA foods available under section 6 of this Act, section 416 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. § 1431) or purchased under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. § 1431), section 709 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1965 (7 U.S.C. §§ 1446a–1), or other authority, and donated by the Department shall be made available to each State.
(b) The value of such commodities donated to each State for each school year shall be, at a minimum, the amount obtained by multiplying the number of reimbursable lunches and suppers served in participating institutions in that State during the preceding school year by the rate for commodities established under section 6(e) of the Act for the current school year. Adjustments shall be made at the end of each school year to reflect the difference between the number of reimbursable lunches and suppers served during the preceding year and the number served during the current year, and subsequent commodity entitlement shall be based on the adjusted meal counts. At the discretion of FNS, current-year adjustments may be made for significant variations in the number of reimbursable meals served. Such current-year adjustments will not be routine and will only be made for unusual problems encountered in a State, such as a disaster that necessitates institutional closures for a prolonged period of time. CACFP State agencies electing to receive cash-in-lieu of commodities will receive payments based on the number of reimbursable meals actually served during the current school year.