The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) put in a $292,080.60 order for string cheese on Thursday, as part of its “entitlement food” offered through the National School Lunch Program.
The nearly $300,000 worth of lite mozzarella string cheese will be used for federal school lunch programs that supply local districts in Texas and Arkansas for three months.
Miceli Dairy, the “makers of fine Italian cheese,” was awarded the contract. A total of 113,400 pounds of the product will go to Van Buren, Ark., and Texas school districts in Austin, McCallen, San Antonio, Grand Prairie, Lubbock, and Dallas.
The order will be delivered beginning April 1 and go through June 30.
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency has strict requirements for the quality of mozzarella cheese that is used in domestic food programs, which the contractor must follow.
For instance, the string cheese has to be made in America and “not previously owned by the government.”
“Mozzarella cheese which deviates from the specifications and the schedule of discounts contained herein will be rejected, or at the discretion of the contracting officer, accepted at discounts to be determined by the government,” the requirements said.
Under “Additional String Cheese Requirements,” the USDA requires “Protein strands shall be properly aligned lengthwise to ensure that fibrous strings can be pulled from the string.”
