Sec. 4302. Food box pilot program
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The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service and in consultation with the Food and Nutrition Service, shall— not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024— establish a pilot program for the purpose of procuring and distributing foods from the categories of staple foods listed in section 3(q) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2012(q) ) that align with dietary patterns as defined in the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; and publish guidance for participation in such program; and not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, enter into contracts with eligible entities to carry out not more than 20 pilot projects under such program.
The pilot program established under subsection
(a)shall be designed— to supplement, not supplant, the nutrition of food insecure households in a manner complementary to other food nutrition programs administered by the Department; to expand the capacity of nonprofit organizations, including community-based and faith-based organizations; and to support local and regional food systems to improve food access. In determining whether to award contracts under subsection (a), the Secretary may consider whether an eligible entity— demonstrates the capability to meet the program goals in subsection (b); offers a price inclusive of all inspection, transportation, and distribution costs, including last mile distribution; proposes to deliver a variety of staple foods determined by the Secretary to be the best value using trade-offs among evaluation factors other than lowest price or highest technical rating; demonstrates an established network of partners or affiliates with distribution and logistics capability to provide last mile delivery to individuals in need; will engage small- and medium-sized farmers or retailers, or distributors who source from such farmers; or will source local and regional products relative to the proposed distribution area when commercially and seasonally available at a fair and reasonable price. Not later than one year after the entering into a contract to carry out this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a report on the status of activities carried out under this section, including— the amount and types of products purchased and the proximity to relevant distribution points; the distribution data for each project sufficient to identify all partners involved and their respective roles in the distribution process, the means of distribution and the ultimate destination of products; the number of farms sourced from; the number of boxes delivered to households and number of households receiving boxes; and the associated economic impact of each project. In this section the term eligible entity includes— small- and medium-sized farmers, as determined by the Secretary; distributors with demonstrated capacity to source from small- and medium-sized farmers; and recipient and nonprofit organizations with expertise in management or administration of food distribution, including— faith-based organizations that distributes food or meals; Tribal organizations that distribute food or meals; child or adult care centers; and any other similar feeding entity, as determined by the Secretary. Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026, to remain available until expended.
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Sec. 4302
Food box pilot program
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