Release: Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act Introduced in Both Houses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act Introduced in Both Houses
Bill Would Increase Availability of Nutritious Produce and Support Local Economic Development
Washington, DC, September 20, 2023 – Today, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and David Valadao (R-CA-22) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act (Procurement Reform Act) in both the House and the Senate. The Procurement Reform Act directs the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a fresh produce purchasing program that prioritizes purchasing from beginning, small and mid-size, and socially disadvantaged farmers and distributes high quality produce to food insecure communities nationwide.
USDA spends roughly $ 6 billion annually on domestically produced or processed foods that are distributed through a variety of programs, such as the Emergency Food Assistance …