The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded two out-of-state contracts to distribute food boxes in Vermont for the final phase of the Farmers to Families Food Box program.
That program was previously been administered by the Abbey Group in Enosburg Falls, which distributed 568,682 boxes containing Vermont produce and food from May to mid-September. The USDA selected Costa Fruit and Produce, Massachusetts and Texas-based Sysco for the contracts.
This is problematic for many reasons. The Abbey Group’s reliance on local produce, dairy and meat was critical for the state’s farmers this spring and summer. The Abbey Group relied almost entirely on Vermont grown food for the boxes that where distributed to some 29,000 Vermont households.
Nineteen Vermont farms contributed 1 million pounds of fruits and vegetables. Cabot supplied over 660,000 pounds of butter and cheese. Four dairy producers provided the milk.
Eating food that comes from Vermont versus food that is trucked in from other areas of the country (and food produced by factory farming) reduces everyone’s carbon footprint.
Vermont’s Congressional delegation has pushed back on the issue, urging the new contractors to purchase Vermont agricultural products, with Senator Patrick Leahy decrying the USDA decision to switch contractors at the eleventh hour and reduce Vermont food producers’ access to such an important market.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch have also pushed back at the USDA decision and are questioning why the vendors were changed when the Abbey Group’s efforts helped farmers and food producers as well as hungry families.
Bring this contract back to Vermont where it belongs.
