The U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that approximately $60 million in cheese and cheese products will be purchased by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) for use in domestic feeding programs through USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
USDA is expediting this cheese purchase to help provide much-needed support for low-income families struggling to put nutritious food on their tables, and to deliver timely assistance to dairy farmers who have been challenged by high feed costs and low dairy prices.
“This purchase will provide food to people in need, while helping dairy producers who are facing economic challenges by increasing demand for dairy products,” said Secretary Vilsack. “The Obama Administration continues to lend assistance in any way we can to support struggling agricultural industries.”
Along with providing market benefits for U.S. dairy producers, commodity purchases such as the $60 million announced today provide much-needed food aid – in the form of high-protein cheese – to food banks across our nation. The purchase continues USDA’s long history of delivering nutritional assistance through domestic and international feeding programs, including 15 domestic nutrition programs that touch the lives of one in every five people in America each day.
This aid comes at a time when demand on the nation’s food banks has reached an all-time high.
The 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Act authorized $60 million for the purchase of cheese and cheese products. This cheese purchase marks the second of two steps announced this week by USDA to utilize a total of $350 million authorized under the Act. Yesterday, Vilsack announced the Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment Program, which provides $290 million for one-time payments to eligible dairy producers.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
3 Comments on “USDA will Purchase Cheese from CCC”
Food Aids are badly needed by third world countries like in Africa in Asia.~*~
Food Aids are badly needed by third world countries like in Africa in Asia.~*~
Food Aids are badly needed by third world countries like in Africa in Asia.~*~