USDA establishes food purchase program to “transform” the food system

Promising to transform the food system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the establishment of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program that will award up to $400 million for emergency food assistance purchases of domestic local foods.

Utilizing American Rescue Plan funds, the agency said the purchases will help to transform the food system and expand local and regional markets and place an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved farmers and ranchers, according to a news release. The awards will be made through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments, the release said.

“As we build back better than we were before, we will strengthen our efforts to provide emergency food assistance and expand economic opportunity for historically underserved producers by allowing state and tribal governments to buy and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious and unique to their geographic area,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release. “This program will help get local and regional agricultural products into schools, food banks and other nutritional assistance programs, and organizations that reach underserved communities. It also advances our efforts to ensure that historically underserved populations gain equal access to USDA resources through a combination of grants, loans, pilot programs, technical assistance, cooperative agreements, and more.”

Eligible state and tribal governments can apply now until April 5, 2022, at www.grants.gov.

In related news, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is announcing the availability of up to $50 million in funds provided by the American Rescue Plan for The Emergency Food Assistance Program Reach and Resiliency Grants to state agencies to expand program access in rural, tribal, and other currently underserved areas, according to the release.