Release No. 0350.02
George Chartier (202) 720-8998
Billy Cox (202) 720-8998
USDA WILL PURCHASE UP TO 22
MILLION POUNDS OF FREESTONE PEACHES
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2002 –– Secretary of
Agriculture Ann M. Veneman announced today that the U.S. Department of
Agriculture intends to purchase up to 22 million additional pounds of frozen
freestone peaches for donation to schools, neighborhood shelters and other
institutions.
“This purchase will provide recipients of our
federal food programs with good, nutritious and quality food products,” said
Secretary Veneman. “The freestone peach crop is especially abundant this year
providing additional opportunities to share these products with schools and
other domestic food agencies.”
USDA has already purchased 11.5 million pounds of
freestone peaches this fiscal year and today’s announcement will bring the
total up to 33.5 million pounds, compared to 31 million pounds in fiscal year
2001, 35 million pounds in fiscal year 2000, and 18.9 million pounds in fiscal
year 1999.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service regularly
purchases a variety of high‑quality food products every year for
distribution by the Food and Nutrition Service to the National School Lunch
Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Food
Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Nutrition Program for the
Elderly, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Emergency Food
Assistance Program. USDA also makes emergency purchases of commodities for
distribution to victims of natural disasters.
In fiscal year 2001, AMS purchased 1.7 billion
pounds of food worth over $1 billion for federal feeding programs, including 192
million pounds of beef, pork, lamb and fish; 229 million pounds of eggs, chicken
and other poultry products; and 1.3 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables.
With today’s announcement of USDA’s intention
to buy, FNS will survey potential recipients to determine how much product will
be accepted for shipping. AMS will seek the lowest overall cost by publicly
inviting bids to supply the desired quantity and by awarding contracts to
responsible bidders.
Government food experts work to ensure that all
the food they purchase is healthful and nutritious. Food items are normally
required to be low in fat, sugar, and sodium. The commodities must meet
specified grade requirements and be USDA-inspected or graded to ensure quality.
AMS purchases only products of 100 percent domestic origin.
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