The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking catfish suppliers to submit bids to supply 380,000 pounds of catfish by 11 August.
The raw, unbranded catfish fillets will be used for the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.
The USDA will announce the winning bidders by midnight on 18 August.
As a 100 percent Small Business Set Aside program, businesses must have 1,000 or fewer employees to apply.
Deliveries of the catfish to Nampa, Idaho, and Kansas City, Missouri, must be made between 1 October and 15 December.
In May, the USDA said it would purchase around USD 70 million (EUR 64.6 million) in seafood for the department’s Section 32 program, which purchases surpluses and directs their use in children’s nutrition and disaster relief programs.
Later that month, USDA asked suppliers to bid on USD 30 million (EUR 26 million) worth of catfish purchases by 18 May and USD 20 million (EUR 17 million) worth of Alaska pollock.
And in June, the USDA purchased nearly USD 23.8 million (EUR 22 million) worth of canned salmon and frozen pollock for child nutrition and other related domestic food assistance programs.
Photo courtesy of M Huston/Shutterstock
