Vilsack Announces Food Purchases For Domestic Nutrition Programs
February 2, 2010 Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack has announced USDA’s intention to purchase $29.1 million worth of blueberry, pear, potato, peach, and mixed fruit products for federal food nutrition assistance programs.
“These purchases will help stabilize prices and markets, stimulate the economy, and provide high-quality, nutritions food to schools and food banks while assisting blueberry, pear, potato, peach, and mixed fruit producers,” Vilsack said.
USDA intends to purchase up to $9 million of fresh potatoes, $8.2 million of peach and mixed fruit products, $7 million of frozen blueberries, and $4.9 million of fresh pears and canned pears. The department will seek the lowest overall costs by surveying potential suppliers and publicly inviting bids to assure contracts are awarded to responsible bidders.
A number of economic factors have led to surpluses, so these purchases will help alleviate the stress caused by higher inventories and low prices that growers are receiving for their commodities. In addition, these funds will help support the rural economy by putting revenue into the hands of growers, which can stimulate economic activity at the local level.
The purchases will go to support the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
“With a record crop of fresh pears, this is a welcome announcement as we head into the second half of the pear season,” said Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest. “Sweet, juicy and nutritious USA pears are a great fit for the feeding programs targeted by the USDA in this announcement and will help bolster the health of America’s children and America’s pear farmers.”
source: USDA press release