Ivanka Trump kicks off USDA fresh box program

Ivanka Trump on Friday made her first public appearance in weeks to kick off the Agriculture Department’s new food box program at a produce distributor in Laurel, Md.

She joined Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan — with all three wearing masks — to tout the launch of the $3 billion program. The initiative aims to connect surplus produce, meat and dairy with food banks and other nonprofits that serve people in need.

“I’m proud that the majority of the recipients are small and regional food suppliers who prioritize smaller farms and nonprofits in their bids,” Trump said at the event. She wore a black face mask adorned with an American flag pin, except when delivering her remarks.

USDA’s program has increasingly come under fire for awarding some major contracts to firms with little to no experience working with farmers or food banks.

A significant slice of the $1.2 billion in initial contracts USDA awarded has been questioned by industry leaders, as POLITICO reported this week. For instance, a $39.1 million contract to CRE8AD8 (pronounced “create a date”), a Texas-based event planning company specializing in lavish weddings and corporate events has garnered particular scrutiny.

Coastal Sunbelt, a well-known distributor based outside Washington, D.C., appears well-positioned to deliver on its $4.5 million contract. The company serves businesses spanning from New Jersey to Virginia. It has nearly 1,000 employees — and brought back 50 who had been furloughed — to help pack the boxes, Trump said at the event.

Coastal Sunbelt is to provide thousands of boxes with a mix of American-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Other boxes in the program will include dairy products, pre-cooked meats, or a combination of all three.

But several lesser-known companies have also received large contracts in the program, raising questions about whether they will be able to start shipping boxes out on Friday. Some awardees appear to lack the trucks, proper certification, cold storage or personnel to deliver food to thousands of people each week.

USDA has been under mounting pressure to rescue millions of pounds of wasted food as jobless claims, and lines at food banks, have swelled. It’s now been two months since supply chains broke down after restaurants, hotels, schools and other institutions nationwide had to shut down under social distancing guidelines, which has led to an extensive disruption to demand.

Perdue said during the event that President Donald Trump had called him and said: “‘Sonny, I want you to bring me a program that will work.’”