TEFAP Rules for Food Pantries in Louisiana
In Louisiana, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is run by LA Dept of Agriculture & Forestry, Food Distribution Division. This page sets out what a food pantry or other distribution site has to do: who qualifies, what each household declares, what you record at each visit, how long you keep it, how complaints are handled and what you report. Where Louisiana's own documents disagree, that is said plainly rather than smoothed over.
Louisiana's TEFAP agency and official documents
- LA Dept of Agriculture & Forestry, Food Distribution Division — the State agency's food distribution page, which covers TEFAP (checked 2026-10-10).
- LDAF: TEFAP application (AHS-50-26) (checked 2026-10-10)
Who qualifies: the income limit
Household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines (official table: 2024-2025 table (LDAF link stale)). Households in these programs qualify without an income test:
- TANF
- FITAP
- SSI
| Household size | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $29,526 | $2,461 |
| 2 | $40,034 | $3,336 |
| 3 | $50,542 | $4,212 |
| 4 | $61,050 | $5,088 |
| 5 | $71,558 | $5,963 |
| 6 | $82,066 | $6,839 |
| 7 | $92,574 | $7,715 |
| 8 | $103,082 | $8,590 |
| Each additional person | +$10,508 |
The eligibility declaration
Form: AHS-50-26 Application - Declaratory Statement of Eligibility (Attachment 4A). How often: annual june renewable 2 years. Clients self-declare; proof of income is not required.
What to record at each visit
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Client signature at every pickup: No. Electronic signatures: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). Electronic intake: alternate or electronic eligibility systems need Food Distribution Division approval.
Proxies
Authorized Representative line on the application.
How long to keep records
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents). The federal minimum is 3 years from the end of the federal fiscal year (7 CFR 251.10(a)(5)).
Civil rights
Complaints: no local forwarding deadline is published — forward promptly. Anyone may complain, in writing or verbally, without giving a name. Training: Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Reporting
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Age bands: 0–17 / 18–64 / 65+.
Storage temperatures
Not published by the State (or not found in its public documents).
Also
- Client certifies USDA food from only one pantry; must live in a parish served.
Where the sources disagree
- State TEFAP Handbook not public.
Ask your food bank which one they monitor against.
Sources
TEFAP in nearby States
TEFAP in Arkansas · TEFAP in Mississippi · TEFAP in Texas · all States