USDA announces food distribution effort

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

In total, USDA has distributed more than 132 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from Jan. 4. “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,” Perdue said.

The additional funding for the program was included in the COVID-19 relief package as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed December 21, 2020.

In this fifth round of purchases, USDA will again purchase combination boxes to ensure all involved recipient organizations have access to fresh produce, dairy products, fluid milk and meat products, and seafood products will also be included in this round.

The Farmers to Families Food Box program is part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using authority provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, USDA partnered with national, regional and local distributors, whose workforces were significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses, to purchase and distribute agricultural products to Americans in need, the news release stated.

The fourth round of the program was announced on Oct. 23, 2020, and purchased a total of $463 million worth of food delivered between Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020.

The fourth round was funded by an additional $500 million made available through supplemental appropriations provided to the Secretary in the CARES Act.

The third round of the Farmers to Families

Food Box program was announced July 24,

2020, and President Donald Trump announced on Aug. 24, 2020 that up to an additional $1 billion was being made available for deliveries through Oct. 31, 2020. USDA announced contracts for the third round on Sept. 17, 2020. By the end of the third round on Oct. 31, USDA purchased more than $3.566 billion worth of food.

In the second round of purchasing and distribution, which began July 1 and concluded Sept. 18, 2020.