Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) USDA Cuts
Oregon Food Bank recently learned of a funding freeze that could impact food access sites in the Metro region and across the state. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), a subset of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), provides millions of pounds of food that we distribute to our community members. In late 2024, TEFAP Bonus Commodities accounted for 17% of food distribution by Oregon Food Bank - totaling 5.8 million pounds of food statewide. Please review the attached document which highlights what the CCC is and why it is important.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a payment freeze to the CCC that will disrupt an essential food source and worsen the already difficult situation for many in our state who rely on emergency food programs. We are still waiting for clarity on how long it will last and how this may affect future food assistance programs in Oregon.
Fresh Fluid USDA milk deliveries that were scheduled for May, June and July are canceled.
Two truckloads of Cheese have also been canceled; one from May and one from June.
Frozen Meat was affected by the CCC cancellation, a total of 13 expected 40,000 lb-truckloads of frozen pork, chicken and turkey products were canceled. We expect some of these to be replaced by Section32 Bonus frozen meat items, but we don’t have control over what and when that product is offered.
Fresh shell eggs were impacted by both the CCC cancellation and by the general availability of eggs. We had 3 full truckloads of fresh eggs purchased by CCC cancelled and 2 full truckloads purchased with TEFAP Entitlement canceled due to vendor pricing. One (1) truckload is still expected to arrive.
And (unrelated to CCC) - it is the early spring Produce Shoulder-Season meaning that we will have little to no USDA Produce available. This produce shoulder-season also impacts access to donated produce, so expect lots of local, PNW crops: apples, pears, onions, potatoes, root vegetables!
This will affect both what you view in your allocations and certain 'Government' products in the shopping list. Oregon Food Bank submitted a letter to Oregon lawmakers urging action. If your organization wants to participate in signing this letter, please reach out to Hannah Walters (hwalters@oregonfoodbank.org). You may also have read about the USDA’s cuts to the Local Food Purchase Program (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools and Child Care program (LFSCC). While these programs are critical to our work to end hunger, these are separate funding sources from the TEFAP Bonus program.
We are monitoring the changes to all of these programs and will communicate with our partners as we learn more about the impact. We will also continue to work with local, state, and national partners to ensure that no one goes hungry.
Page Options
