USDA

Statement from United Fresh’s SVP of Policy, Robert Guenther, on USDA’s Announcement on Addressing Food Insecurity

June 8, 2021 Perishable News

Quite frankly, the evolution of emergency food purchasing that moved away from USDA’s traditional food purchase programs during the Covid-19 pandemic should not be ignored or dismissed. USDA has an enormous opportunity to procure the foods that will help individuals meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations to make half the plate fruits and vegetables.”Quite frankly, the evolution of emergency food purchasing that moved away from USDA’s traditional food purchase programs during the Covid-19 pandemic should not be ignored or dismissed. USDA has an enormous opportunity to procure the foods that will help individuals meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations to make half the plate fruits and vegetables.” …

USDA to Invest $1B to Purchase Healthy Food for Food Insecure Americans and Build Food Bank Capacity

June 7, 2021 USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of up to $1 billion, including $500 million in American Rescue Plan funding, in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to support and expand the emergency food network so food banks and local organizations can reliably serve their communities. …

USDA Seeks Nominees for the National Potato Promotion Board

June 4, 2021 USDA AMS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees to fill 57 producer and importer member seats and one public member seat on the National Potato Promotion Board. The nominating process will be completed by August 15, 2021. USDA will appoint individuals to succeed members whose terms expire February 28, 2022. …

Numerous Health Benefits Found in Summer-Favorite Watermelon

May 28, 2021 USDA ARS

Researchers in the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently identified over 1,500 small molecules of diverse chemical characters in the fruit, known as phytochemicals. They concluded that eating watermelon is an excellent way to increase your intake of antioxidants, non-protein amino acids and lycopene. This means that every time you eat watermelon, you’ll be improving the health of your cells, organs and nervous system. …

NFI Statement on USDA’s Decision to Purchase Nutritious Consumer-Ready Seafood

May 14, 2021 National Fisheries Institute

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will purchase up to $159.4 million of seafood and other items as part of its Section 32 food assistance program. This purchase marks “the largest single seafood purchase in the Department’s history,” according to the agency. …