USDA Section 32 Almond Purchase Announcement

Excited to pass along this news and very grateful for the work of Elaine Trevino and her team at Almond Alliance!

Industry Alert: USDA Section 32 Almond Purchase Announcement

The Almond Alliance, with support from congressional representatives, lead the advocacy efforts to have California almonds included in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 32 food purchase program. The approval of up to $40 million of direct purchases to various domestic food nutrition assistance programs will provide much needed relief as the almond industry navigates through the impacts of COVID-19; while also providing a healthy food source to those in need.

As grower prices continue to drop and there is an anticipated 3-billion-pound crop for 2020 it is clear that the assistance of a USDA commodity purchase came at a critical time.  As we recover from the damages of COVID-19 and market conditions the Almond Alliance will continue to advocate for and identify opportunities for the industry. We appreciate our relationship with USDA and know that the Section 32 purchase program will give more confidence to our buyers and sellers and supply those in need with a nutritious product we are extremely proud of.

If you have any questions related to this industry alert, please contact the Almond Alliance staff at staff@almondalliance.org. The Section 32 purchase solicitation will be coming soon.

How to Become a Certified USDA Vendor:
The Almond Alliance facilitated a webinar in May 2020 for almond industry handler members interested in becoming an approved vendor with USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, Commodity Procurement Program. Click here, to view the PowerPoint presentation.  Contact information for the AMS new vendor coordinator is below.  We are in the process of scheduling a How to Become a Certified USDA Vendor webinar in mid August and we will provide those details shortly.

Selling Food to USDA: Click Here.
Becoming a USDA Foods Vendor: Click Here.

Contact:  Andrea Lang, New Vendor Coordinator
AMS Commodity Procurement Program
Communications and Stakeholder Branch
Email: NewVendor@usda.gov
Phone: 202-720-4237

Background:
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases a variety of 100% domestically produced and processed commodity food products, including dairy products, fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood. AMS issues solicitations and makes purchases for over 200 different USDA Foods on an ongoing basis.

These purchases support American agriculture by providing an outlet for surplus products and encouraging consumption of domestically-produced foods. The wholesome, high-quality products purchased by USDA—collectively called USDA Foods—are delivered to schools, food banks and households in communities across the country, and are a vital component of our nation’s food safety net.