The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking suppliers to bid on supplying 207,000 cases of wild U.S. shrimp.
The shrimp will be used in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs, the agency said in a notice. Suppliers must submit bids on the peeled and deveined shrimp solicitation by 23 December.
Winning bidders will make deliveries to several cities in February and March 2023.
This fall, U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) said in a press release that the USDA planned to purchase USD 25 million (EUR 23 million) worth of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild shrimp.
Graves said the purchases will provide relief to Louisiana’s shrimp industry, which has faced several recent hardships: Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, repeated openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, unfair trade practices, illegal dumping of chemicals, inflation, higher fuel prices, and supply chain issues.
“We are not giving up on Louisiana’s seafood industry – the largest supplier in the country and the economic engine of many areas along our coast,” Graves said. “We are working from every angle to bring them more relief while also working to reform the ridiculous fisheries disaster process.”
The shrimp purchase will give schools, food banks, and disaster-stricken areas access to a sustainable and nutritious source of protein, Graves said.
When completed, the buy will mark the third straight year that the USDA has made significant purchases of domestic shrimp, the Southern Shrimp Alliance said in a press release.
“Shrimpers from Texas to North Carolina are confronting unprecedented challenges this year, from natural disasters to a deluge of cheap imports to high fuel costs to inflation everywhere but in the price of our catch,” SSA Executive Director John Williams said. “We are fortunate both to have fishermen that continue to fight for the future of our industry and representatives that have been willing to listen and take action.”
In September 2020, the USDA bought around USD 25.1 million (EUR 23 million) worth of domestic wild-caught shrimp, followed by a purchase of USD 24.8 million (EUR 23 million) in September 2021.
Photo courtesy of Jace Cameron/Shutterstock
