The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a solicitation for 436,000 cartons of mixed fresh produce for the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
According to the USDA, the offers from suppliers are due by Aug. 4.
The requirements for the mixed fresh produce boxes are available online.
In general, the boxes should be 10 to 12 pounds and should contain at least four different items.
The fresh produce boxes should not contain packages of more than 3 pounds per item, and all items in the box should have at least a 7-to-10-day shelf life.
The USDA said there should be no more than 3 pounds of root vegetables such as potatoes, yams, carrots, and onions.
