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Release No. 0346.02

Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
Jean Daniel (703) 305-2286 

USDA Launches E-Government Resource for Commodity Food Information

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2003 – Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced an e-government resource designed to provide one-stop information about U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities. The Commodity Food Network (CFN) provides a single-point-of-contact to all online federal resources and services related to the purchase and distribution of USDA commodities. 

“Improving access to nutrition assistance programs is a priority for the Bush Administration,” Veneman said. “The Commodity Food Network will enable schools, community feeding organizations, state agencies, Native American tribal organizations and others to have instant access to information about USDA commodities.”

In 2000, USDA launched the Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Project, an initiative to streamline the commodity distribution programs and ensure that they are cost effective and customer service oriented. The Commodity Food Network is one component of the BPR Project and it provides comprehensive information about commodity purchasing, food availability, food safety and recall updates.

The BPR Project is a collaborative effort headed by Eric M. Bost, under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services; William Hawks, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs; J.B. Penn, under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services; and Elsa Murano, under secretary for food safety.

“The project also supports President Bush’s e-government initiative by effectively using the Internet as a one-stop shopping for information,” said Veneman. “The Commodity Food Network allows us to better serve low-income families, state and local agencies, schools, and our partners in food and agriculture who are involved in USDA commodity programs.”

USDA’s Food Distribution Programs are administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which works directly with state and local agencies to obtain and place their food orders in accordance with authorized levels of spending. FNS coordinates its efforts with the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Farm Service Agency, agencies which gather competitive bids from vendors, award contracts and ensure delivery of all purchased commodities. In addition, the Food Safety and Inspection Service ensures that meat and poultry products are safe.

The Commodity Food Network is available at http://www.commodityfoods.usda.gov/ . Further information about nutrition assistance programs is available at http://www.fns.usda.gov .

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