USDA said it will purchase up to $159.4 million in domestically produced seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions -- the largest purchase of U.S. raised seafood by the USDA to date.
The purchases will be done using authority under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act and is "one of many actions USDA is taking to address the disruptions in the food system supply chain and worsened food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic," USDA said.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack noted the fisheries and seafood sector have been dealt a "heavy blow" from COVID and this action is one of many efforts to address those effects.
Selected commodities include: Alaska pollock, apricots (canned, dried, and frozen), chickpeas, dry peas, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild-caught shrimp, lentils, navy beans, Pacific pink shrimp, Pacific rockfish fillets, Pacific whiting fillets, pistachios, prepared peaches, and sockeye (red) salmon.
The inventories of these commodities are in high oversupply due to a decrease in demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption in the supply chain, as restaurants and other outlets closed during the pandemic.