USDA invites comment on food supply chains
The disruption in the food chain during the first weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the vulnerability of our region with respect to transportation and supply interruption. On Thursday, February 25, 2021, CSG East’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee presented a webinar on Regional Food Systems, where we discussed ways to develop a secure and sustainable system for the production, processing, and distribution of food grown in the region for people in the region.
Photo by Henry Be on Unsplash
On April 21, 2021, the USDA issued the following press release seeking input on ways to improve the county’s food chains. Follow the links below to contribute your comments on improving and reimagining the supply chains for the production, processing, and distribution of agricultureal commodities and food products.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking comments on a Department-wide effort to improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products. USDA is taking this action in response to Executive Order 14017, America’s Supply Chains, signed by President Biden on Feb. 24, 2021. The request for comments is published today in the Federal Register and the comment period will close on May 21, 2021.
The comments received will help USDA assess the critical factors, risks, and strategies needed to support resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains and ensure U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and nutrition security for all Americans. Such supply chains are needed to address conditions that can reduce critical processing and infrastructure capacity and the availability and integrity of critical goods, products, and services. Identifying food system supply chain-bottlenecks and vulnerabilities also may provide valuable insights into the competitive and fair markets landscape, effects on local and regional producers and processors, and equitable access to food and economic opportunity across diverse communities. USDA will use the comments to prepare a report required by Executive Order 14017.
