The USDA plans to provide almost $2 billion in additional funding to food banks and school meal programs that purchase American-grown foods. The support will help offset supply chain challenges, and high food costs that impede their mission to provide nutritious food to kids and families, according to the USDA.
“Funding these initiatives is paramount in the fight against hunger, and further demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA’s commitment to strengthen food and nutrition security,” said agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. “We must ensure Americans have access to safe, healthy, affordable food for longevity and optimal health.”
The funding will be provided through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation and will be allocated as follows:
• $1 billion to purchase food for emergency food providers
• $500 million to expand the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, which maintains and improves the resilience of the food and agriculture supply chain
• $500 million for schools to purchase food for their lunch and breakfast programs
“These programs directly connect American producers with food banks and schools, strengthening our rural economies while helping those most in need,” said undersecretary of marketing and regulatory programs, Jenny Lester Moffitt, in a statement. “As part of the Biden Administration’s commitment to transforming our nation’s food system, USDA is dedicated to fostering partnerships between producers and food assistance programs. Working together, farmers, food banks, and schools can improve our nation’s food and nutrition security.”
The department’s investment in these services is part of its goal to strengthen the accessibility of nutritious foods while improving the domestic supply chain.
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