Buying food from farmers who might otherwise be forced to dump it and sending it to people who need food sounds like a win-win. Trust the Trump administration to find a way to insert some lose into it. A program to distribute fresh food boxes to people in need is facing sharp criticism from produce companies after the Trump administration gave big contracts to a number of companies with no real food distribution experience while leaving out many companies that do have the relevant experience.A Texas event-marketing company named CRE8AD8 (“create a date”) got the seventh-largest contract in the program for $39.1 million. A California “business finance solutions” company got a $16.6 million contract. A company that sells hand sanitizers and lotions in airports got a $12 million contract. Meanwhile, many of the top produce distributors didn’t get contracts. “This deal is destined to crash before it takes off,” a Houston produce distributor who didn’t get a contract told Politico. - Daily Kos
Monday, May 18, 2020
Of course the Trumpers are screwing up farms to food banks
Yes. Whenever and wherever right-wingers get in charge, they do nothing but fuck up everything they touch. That’s a fundamental fact of contemporary life that everyone should understand.
Surprised ?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that a company with TWO American employees will not be able to supply products for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program ? Well, don't worry because not only does Wanabana USA LLC have two employees in the United States but they have plenty more in Ecuador where the fruit pouches are likely to come. Caribbean Produce Exchange received a $107 million contract award to assemble boxes for the east coast ... they are located out of Puerto Rico and have an arrangement with Wanabana
Other questionable awards in the $1.2 billion program include contracts for two meat processors under investigation and Bordon, the bankrupt dairy producer.
It appears that only ONE Minnesota-based company got an award ... Bongards' Creameries $480,816 ...
A number of contracts went to companies outside the regions they are supposed to serve.
There is a rather scathing editorial in the San Antonio paper requesting a congressional investigation (which you know the Trump Administration will fail to comply with any witnesses, testimony, and threaten lawsuits.)
https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Investigate-USDA-food-box-contracts-15278828.php