The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a bid solicitation for 8.3 million pounds of Alaska pollock fish sticks and fillets for use in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.
The bid asks for more Alaska Pollock than USDA has ever purchased in an entire year besides 2017, 2019 and 2020, Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) CEO Craig Morris told IntraFish.
The products will be distributed to several states throughout the United States.
Acceptances will be announced by May 26. Deliveries are to be made between July 1 of this year through Feb. 28 of next year.
The USDA has also issued a bid for nearly 2.7 million pounds of catfish for the same federal programs. Acceptances will be announced by midnight on May 15. Deliveries are to be made between July 1 and Dec. 31.
The bids are the first for Alaska pollock and catfish solicitations to be issued by the Biden Administration, which so far has only awarded seafood contracts to Minnesota-based Red Lake Nation Fisheries for walleye for use in federal food programs.
