USDA to purchase 159.4M in nutritious consumer ready seafood

These purchases are being made utilising funds under the authority of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced 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.

These purchases are being made utilising funds under the authority of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (Pub. L. 74-320), as amended (Section 32).

This 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.

Products	Approved Amount
Alaska Pollock	$20 Million
Apricots (Canned, Dried, And Frozen)	$6.5 Million
Chickpeas	$10 Million
Dry Peas	$10 Million
Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp	$25 Million
Lentils	$10 Million
Navy Beans	$4 Million
Pacific Pink Shrimp	$4 Million
Pacific Rockfish Fillets	$4 Million
Pacific Whiting Fillets	$9 Million
Pistachios	$40 Million
Prepared Peaches	$8 Million
Sockeye (Red) Salmon	$8.9 Million
Total	$159.4 Million

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. This is the largest purchase of US raised seafood by the USDA to date.