The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a Section 32 purchase of up to $52 million (€49 million) of Pacific and Alaska groundfish such as cod, haddock, pollock, and flounder, for distribution to food assistance programs in Alaska and across the country.

The USDA has not yet published a pre-solicitation notice for the purchase but will soon, the agency told IntraFish.

The value of US seafood purchased by the USDA has exploded over the past several years, making the government one of the largest purchasers of Alaska pollock and other seafood.