USDA set to purchase $126 million in fruits, vegetables

The USDA announced on Monday that it plans on purchasing up to $126.4 million in fruits and vegetables. The food items will then be distributed to needy families under the agency’s Emergency Food Assistance Program.

 

Tart cherries, processed apples, cranberries, fresh tomatoes, wild blueberries, and raisins are among the fruits and veggies being purchased. The food will be given to states for distribution to food banks and other local agencies.

 

The purchase is designed to provide high-quality, wholesome, domestically-produced foods to low-income families in need of emergency food assistance. Items purchased through the program are paid for with funds appropriated for it, or are procured through the USDA’s market support programs.

 

“Food distribution programs are a vital part of our Nation’s nutrition safety net, and today’s food purchases will give communities additional means to help those in need,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the Des Moines Register.

 

The purchase announced today is part of the surplus removal program, which allows USDA to purchase foods in order to help stabilize prices in agricultural commodity markets by balancing supply and demand, while providing healthy food to low-income households.

 

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Source: The Des Moines Register