The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it will host a webinar on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at 2 p.m. ET, for farmers, shippers and other suppliers interested in participating in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. This webinar is an opportunity for these parties to learn how to move their food through this new program for produce, dairy and meat products. Interested participants may register for the webinar.
On April 17, 2020, Secretary Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). As part of this announcement, the Secretary also created the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Through this initiative, USDA will partner with regional and local food distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food service entities, to purchase up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products. The program will begin with the procurement of an estimated $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables, $100 million per month in a variety of dairy products and $100 million per month in meat products. Participating distributors and wholesalers will then package a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy and meat products for delivery to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.
More information on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program is available on the AMS website.