Title: Food price sources for school food procurement
Description: Abstract: Information about sources of food prices is provided by USDA for persons involved in school food procurement. Publications listed are accompanied by information on availablity, frequency of publication, cost, geographical coverage, types of food priced, criteria on which prices are based, usefulness for school systems (depending on size), whether applicable for formula purchasing, and kind of information provided. Assistance in use of the listings is provided through explanations of key terms used in food procurement. Recommendations for effective food procurement include suggestions for dealing with vendors, budgeting, estimating unit costs, and planning for bulk purchasing. The needs of a school food service must be balanced against costs within product specifications. Preparation of specifications must consider whether they are enforcable, tailored to menu requirements, complete, understandable, commercially available, and/or superfluous to need.