The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to purchase fresh produce for distribution to food banks.
Pandemic Assistance funding has been made available to supplement The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) program for the remainder of the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, according to a news release.
“Food banks are one of USDA’s most important partners in responding to the rising food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean said in a statement. “And we’ve been putting our ear to the ground from day one of this administration to learn how we can be more responsive to their needs. Food banks have asked that we support them with more fresh produce, so we are excited to provide a new fresh produce box to states for their network of foodbanks participating in The Emergency Food Assistance Program.”
The USDA will be offering boxes of pre-packed, fresh produce through TEFAP in addition to the single varieties that are already available to order, according to the release.
The fresh produce package will include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that meet the following requirements:
- A 10–12-pound package that includes a minimum of at least four of the following: 3-5 pounds of vegetables (no more than 3 pounds of root vegetables; i.e., potatoes, yams, carrots, onions, etc.), 3-5 pounds of fruit; at least 2 locally grown fruit or vegetable items, as available, and if not available, add an additional fruit and vegetable item to meet a minimum package weight range of 10-12 pounds; and
- Packages will be expected to have a shelf life of 7-10 days once delivered to the location listed on the contract.
“We want USDA food purchases to both feed the community and build the local market for growers,” USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Mae Wu said in a statement. “AMS has been fortunate to add hundreds of new small businesses to its vendor pool recently and hopes to keep growing that list. These small businesses have enabled AMS to purchase more American grown and produced products than ever before and to support more small businesses and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. We look forward to working with new and existing vendors to support the TEFAP Fresh Produce Initiative.”
All future information regarding this acquisition, including solicitation amendments and award notices, will be published through WBSCM, the Agricultural Marketing Service’s website at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food, and beta.sam.gov.
To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the Qualification Requirements for Selling TEFAP Fresh Produce to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. The AMS point of contact for new vendors can be reached by email at TEFAPFreshProduce@usda.gov.
