Release No. 0373.02

Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
Kathryn Mattingly (202) 720-8998
Billy Cox (202) 720-8998

VENEMAN ANNOUNCES $30 MILLION PURCHASE OF PORK PRODUCTS

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2002 -- Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase up to $30 million of pork products for use in school feeding and nutrition programs.

"This decision will provide nutritious and quality food products for recipients of federal food and nutrition programs,” said Veneman. “These purchases will also provide a boost to pork producers who have experienced tough economic conditions this year.”

USDA has already purchased 13.8 million pounds of pork products this school year and today's announcement could bring the total up to 66 million pounds of fresh and processed pork products. This is compared to 29.9 million pounds for the 2001-2002 school year and 22.8 million pounds in 2000-2001.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service regularly purchases a variety of high-quality food products 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 product requirements and be USDA-inspected or graded to ensure quality. AMS purchases only products of 100 percent domestic origin.

For more information about these and other USDA programs, visit http://www.usda.gov/ .

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