The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is purchasing a bulk amount cooked seafood as part of its Farmers to Families Food Box program, and recently awarded a contract for walleye it will use as part of a child nutrition program.
The COVID-19 relief package, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed on 21 December, authorized funding to continue the Farmers to Families Food Box program and required USDA to purchase seafood.
Precooked seafood products are now eligible for inclusion in food boxes and can be combined with precooked meat products and egg or egg products to meet the existing material description weight requirement of 15 to 18 pounds, a USDA spokesperson told SeafoodSource.
“Because USDA allows flexibility for vendors to determine specific box contents based on availability and nonprofit organization needs, the amount of seafood that will be purchased through the program is unknown at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Overall, USDA will be buying USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.2 billion) worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
“This new round of Farmers to Families Food Boxes will go a long way in helping American families access nutritious and healthy meals as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a press release.
USDA has already distributed more than 132 million food boxes to support American farmers and families affected by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the USDA awarded Red Lake Nation Fisheries in Redby, Minnesota, a contract to supply nearly USD 467,000 (EUR 383,000) worth of walleye for federal nutrition assistance programs. It will deliver around 43,000 pounds of walleye fillets in February.
Photo courtesy of Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock
