The United States Department of Agriculture has announced it plans to buy up to $60 million worth of beef and chicken products to support welfare programs.
The chicken purchases will include whole bagged chicken, consumer split breast, and dark meat parts.
National Chicken Council president Mike Brown said the program will help balance the supply and demand situaton in the market.
“As such, it will provide continued and improved employment in the poultry industry, underpin steadier family farm grower incomes, and enhance better feed demand for the on-coming expected bumper harvest of corn and soybeans," Brown said in a statement.
The program will benefit financially stressed families, group feeding kitchens, disaster-relief operations, schools and consumers needing food assistance, Brown said.
The announcement came right after the department said that it will, for the first time, buy fluid milk for the welfare programs.
