Massive funding cuts that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Program are cutting off traditionally reliable buyers of the nation’s seafood.
The LFPA cuts amount to an estimated USD 1.13 billion (EUR 1 billion) and are hampering the ability of food banks across the nation to feed local populations with safe, fresh food options, including local seafood.
For instance, the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) lost USD 2.8 million (EUR 2.5 million) in LFPA funding, which it would have received this December.
“[The loss] is a concerning step backward for our food system in Maryland. This funding cut will reduce access to fresh produce, protein, dairy, eggs, and seafood for the nearly 2 million people facing [food insecurity],” MFB Chief Operating Officer Meg Kimmel told SeafoodSource.
The LFPA program has been a reliable purchaser of blue catfish in Maryland, an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay that provides a quality, nutritious protein to food-insecure locals, Kimmel said. These funding cuts may also harm plans to start a commercial fishery for the species that recent legislation could help implement...
