Farmers to Families Food Box Program Ending
April 21, 2021 As the U.S. begins to emerge from the pandemic, USDA is cutting its budget for the Farmers to Families Food Box (FFFB) program. Instead, USDA will boost spending on existing programs, including another fresh produce box effort.
The program launched in 2020 to create a more direct link between producers and families in need. Its funding will dry up by the end of May.
“While we are certainly disappointed that the Farmers to Families Food Box program will cease to exist at the end of May, we are grateful to the USDA for [setting] up a program in record speed during the early stages of the COVID crisis to address farm-level food loss and pairing that excess supply with families in need,” says Steve Brazeel, Founder and CEO of SunTerra.
Brazeel jumped into the FFFB program in 2020. He had great success building relationships with food banks. They learned produce has a much longer shelf life than they expected, especially when someone like Brazeel ensures the cold chain is maintained.
“One of the critical successes of the program was creating dialogue between producers and the food bank community, which will no doubt result in more collaborative relationships going forward,” he says.
Department of Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack told several news outlets the program lost a great deal of food and funds due to the chaotic process of getting up and going so quickly. But USDA acknowledges the purpose behind FFFB was a solid one and intends to address the crisis through existing programs. This includes the Emergency Food Assistance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meals, and others.
Just because FFFB will end, growers like Brazeel plan to build on the relationships they built.
“Regardless of what form these types of programs may continue, SunTerra is fully committed to working on solutions to provide equal access to fresh fruits and vegetables in all of our communities, in addition to providing additional streams of income for family-run farms nationwide,” he says.
The United Fresh Produce Association released a statement about USDA’s decision to cut the Food Box program. Click here to read it.
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