K-12 Schools  
Schreiber Foods is a major supplier of cheese and other dairy products to school districts throughout the country through our USDA Commodity Processing Program. Utilizing surplus commodity products made available by the USDA to K-12, we minimize the costs associated with the purchase and transportation of these products for use in school lunch programs.

As part of the USDA agricultural support programs, schools receive credit in the form of B-entitlement dollars to purchase commodities from the USDA. (The amount of B-entitlement credit is based upon the number of school lunch meals served.) Schools then use the credits to purchase those commodities made available by the USDA. Since dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and protein, and are readily available as a commodity item, schools take advantage of this program to purchase a large portion of their cheese needs each year.

Schools can obtain dairy commodities from Schreiber in three ways:

  • Direct through the Kansas City Credit Organization (KCCO, part of the USDA). We bid on finished product the KCCO seeks to purchase, and ship in truckload quantities to school or commercial distribution centers.
  • School districts can request truckloads of bulk cheese be diverted to Schreiber by the KCCO to be processed into various cheese products. The product is shipped directly to the state/school distribution center for further shipment to schools.
  • School districts can request truckloads of bulk cheese be diverted to Schreiber by the KCCO to be processed into various cheese products. The product is shipped to commercial distributors designated by the recipient school agency for further shipment to the schools.

We encourage school districts to utilize commercial distributors for their commodity products, as they often provide the most efficient method for getting the products to the schools.

Schreiber is the largest manufacturer of process cheese within the foodservice channel. This allows K-12 to be part of the extensive distribution network within the cheese industry. In addition, cheese is substitutable under the commodity program, enabling schools to take advantage of the same order lead times, fill rates and other services enjoyed by Schreiber’s commercial customers.