What Is TEFAP? The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Explained for Food Pantries

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Short answer: TEFAP, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, is a federal program in which USDA buys American-grown food (“USDA Foods”) and gives it, with money for storage and distribution, to State agencies. The States pass it to food banks, and food banks pass it to the pantries, soup kitchens and other local groups that hand it out free to people with low income. For a pantry, TEFAP means free food from your food bank in return for following a short set of federal rules: serve eligible households, keep a simple record, follow civil-rights rules and store the food properly.

Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, TEFAP Fact Sheet (page updated 11 August 2026) and TEFAP program page; regulations at 7 CFR Part 251.

How the food gets to your shelves

1. USDA buys the food and decides how much each State gets, based on the number of unemployed people and the number of people below the poverty level in that State.
2. The State agency (often the agriculture, human services or education department; yours is on your State page) selects the local agencies it works with, usually food banks.
3. The food bank stores the food and distributes it to its partner agencies. It also passes on part of the TEFAP administrative funds, as the regulations require.
4. Your pantry (an “eligible recipient agency”) gives the food to eligible households to take home, or a meal program serves it as prepared meals.

What food comes through TEFAP

USDA says more than 130 products are available, chosen by State agencies and depending on market conditions: canned, frozen, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables and juice; meat, fish, eggs, nuts and beans; rice, flour, cereal, pasta and tortillas; and milk, yogurt and cheese. Besides food bought with appropriated funds, TEFAP also distributes “bonus” foods USDA buys to support farm markets. The full list is USDA’s USDA Foods Available List for TEFAP.

Who can get TEFAP food

Households taking food home must meet the income guidelines their State sets, between 185% and 300% of the federal poverty guidelines (2026 TEFAP income guidelines by household size). States may also qualify people through other income-based programs. People eating prepared meals, such as at a soup kitchen, are presumed to have low income and are not means-tested. A pantry may not require ID, proof of address or a length of residency (TEFAP eligibility).

What TEFAP asks of a food pantry

• Eligibility: serve USDA Foods only to households that meet your State’s criteria, usually by a signed self-declaration.
• Records: for each distribution, the name of the person receiving the food, the household size and the basis for eligibility, kept three years from the close of the federal fiscal year (TEFAP records a pantry must keep).
• Civil rights: the “And Justice for All” poster, the USDA nondiscrimination statement on your materials, annual training and a complaint procedure.
• No strings: receiving USDA Foods cannot depend on attending a religious service, volunteering or donating.
• Storage and safety: store the food safely, keep temperature logs where your State asks for them (temperature logs), and act on recalls (what to do in a food recall).
• Monitoring: your food bank or State agency reviews pantries on a schedule and looks at all of the above.

How a pantry starts receiving TEFAP food

You apply through your regional food bank (or, in some States, directly to the State agency) to become a partner agency. Under 7 CFR 251.5(a) a private organization must show tax-exempt status: it already runs another federal program that requires it, has an IRS determination letter, is automatically exempt as a religious organization, or has applied to the IRS and is moving toward recognition. The food bank then gives you an agreement, the State’s forms and training. Starting from scratch? See how to start a food pantry and the TEFAP readiness checklist.

Funding and history in brief

In fiscal year 2024 TEFAP received $461.5 million to buy USDA Foods and $80 million for administrative costs, and USDA provided an additional $943 million through the Commodity Credit Corporation; $955 million of bonus foods were made available in fiscal year 2023 (USDA fact sheet). The program began in 1981 to distribute surplus food. The Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 funded food purchases specifically for it, and the 1990 Farm Bill gave it its current name.

TEFAP, CSFP and SNAP: not the same thing

• TEFAP: USDA Foods given out through food banks and pantries, to households under the State’s income limit.
• CSFP: a monthly USDA food package for people aged 60 and over with low income, run through separate sites (CSFP explained).
• SNAP: benefits on an EBT card, spent at stores. Pantries do not run SNAP, though many States count SNAP participation as TEFAP eligibility.

How PantryPOS fits

PantryPOS is food pantry software built around these rules. Your State’s TEFAP income table, self-declaration and records are built in: intake captures the declaration and signature, checkout records who received the food, how many people are in the household and the basis for eligibility, and the distribution log prints for a monitoring visit. Inventory runs first-in, first-out, with temperature logs and recall holds.

This guide describes federal regulation and USDA guidance and is not legal advice. Your State agency sets the rules that apply to your pantry, and your food bank’s agreement may add requirements.