Notes & Insights
April 1, 2026 / April 1, 2026 by Lily
Many pantries utilize client-choice, but this model comes with its own fair share of inventory management hurdles. PantrySoft spoke recently with New York based pantries who also receive HPNAP funding, a program that has additional requirements detailing the food options available for clients to choose from. These conversations led to the development of new inventory features that make it simple for client-choice pantries to administer HPNAP in PantrySoft.
The New York State Department of Health’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) establishes funds for pantries, soup kitchens, and other emergency food relief organizations to purchase safe and nutritious food for neighbors in need.
Since many commonly donated food items aren’t always nutritious, these funds are meant to supplement a pantry’s inventory. Focusing on nutritious food, HPNAP food grant funds can be used to purchase healthy food items from a regional food bank.
But what counts as healthy? HPNAP is based on the USDA My Plate guidelines that outline recommended servings of vegetables & fruits, protein, grains, and dairy food groups. These guidelines are communicated as ‘Choices’. So, select food items are assigned a Choice value equating to the number of servings they provide in one of the food groups. For example, 16oz of frozen vegetables is equal to 1 Choice (approximately 4 servings) of Vegetables & Fruit.
When food pantries receive HPNAP funding, they are required to offer a minimum number of Choices (equating to a minimum amount of healthy food items) to a neighbor in need per the 3-Day Pantry Package Guide.
For all pantries, it can be difficult to provide the minimum volume of healthy options outlined by HPNAP on a limited budget. Client-choice pantries face the added challenge of allowing clients to decide between food options with varying Choice values – while still balancing their inventory of in-demand items.
While ideally clients could be offered more than the minimum number of Choices for healthy foods, the reality is that HPNAP funding is limited. That means it is important for pantries to be able to cap the Choices offered to manage their limited resources effectively. By having guardrails in place to put a maximum limit on Choices, a pantry can serve more clients without running out of food.
PantrySoft now has out-of-the box inventory tools to help pantries administer HPNAP and other choice-based inventory systems. Pantry clients can order items online, and the customized Choice limits will automatically be applied. Here’s how it works:
When first adding inventory or adjusting your current set-up, consider the categories of items (Item Types) you offer clients. For HPNAP inventory, create Item Types corresponding to the food groups listed on the 3-Day Package Pantry Guide.
For example: Fruits & Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy + any non-HPNAP categories (like Toiletries, Snacks, etc.)
Then, create Items based on what you receive or plan to receive to your pantry. Use the “Choice Value” field to assign the appropriate value to each Item. If your inventory also includes non-HPNAP Items, assign them a ‘0’ Choice Value.
For example: 1 can of beans is 1 Choice, while a pound of beef is 4 Choices.
Use Household Rules to define the various household sizes you serve. Now, you can set the maximum number of Choices each size of household is allowed for each Item Type.
For example: A household of 4 people is allowed 12 Choices in the protein category.
Now, your clients can log into the PantrySoft client portal and shop for available Items! PantrySoft will dynamically track the number of Choices used in an Item Type, and number of Choice remaining.
For example: the Smith household is a household of 4. They can select any combination of beef (4 Choices) and bean (1 Choice) that does not exceed the Choice limit in Protein for their household size (12 Choices).
Providing nutritious food options to pantry clients is important, but it can be difficult to manage Choices on top of standard inventory management. PantrySoft has simple tools to easily set and limit Choices per HPNAP guidelines on pantry inventory, which allows seamless client-choice shopping through the online portal.