The head of the New Hampshire Food Bank is criticizing the quality of ingredients received through a federal program launched during the pandemic, saying it received nothing but processed pork products for a number of consecutive weeks.
The USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program was launched in May with a dual aim: to give farmers a new market in the wake of restaurants and schools temporarily closing due to the pandemic, and to provide for the nutritional needs of millions of Americans made food insecure by COVID-19’s impact on the economy.
During the first two rounds of the program, the New Hampshire Food Bank received produce, dairy and protein sources through Costa Fruit and Produce, a Massachusetts-based distributor it has worked with in the past.
For the third round, however, the USDA awarded the contract to serve New Hampshire to Vincent Farms, a Delaware-based entity.
According to Food Bank executive director Eileen Liponis, the quantity and quality of the food provided by Vincent Farms was inferior to Costa. That included the protein source, which Liponis says consisted solely of processed pork products.
“Hot dogs and scrapple,” she said. “Not something that you want to boost the immune systems during a pandemic. High fat, high salt. Not what we are looking for.”
Liponis said her complaints to the company about its protein source went unanswered. Vincent Farms did not respond to a request for comment.
New Hampshire’s congressional delegation is now asking the USDA to investigate the procurement process and standards for the program. In a letter submitted to Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue last week, the lawmakers question the profit margins for Vincent Farms.
“We understand that the USDA is paying $40-60 per box under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. However, the cost per box of food provided to the New Hampshire Food Bank by the round three distributor has been estimated to equal $10-12,” the lawmakers wrote.
Given those margins, lawmakers say it is possible Vincent Farms profited between $30,000 and $50,000 for each tractor-trailer delivery.
For the fourth round of the program, the USDA has awarded the contract to serve New Hampshire to Lancaster Foods, a Maryland-based company, despite the New Hampshire Food Bank’s preference to resume using Costa.
Since February, the Food Bank has operated mobile delivery programs, providing more than 13,000 families with food.
