OBI, Peter Pan Seafoods Score Winning Bids for USDA Salmon Solicitation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood Co. as the awardees of contracts for thousands of cans of wild Alaska pink salmon to be delivered to needy recipients nationwide.

A March 6 USDA announcement said that the contracts include 713 truckloads of 14.75 -ounce canned pink salmon valued at $53,882,923 from OBI Seafoods and 242 truckloads of 14.75-ounce canned pink salmon valued at $17,240,660 from Peter Pan Seafood.

The food is set to be delivered from May 16, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025.

The purchases were made under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935, which authorizes USDA to support prices of commodities in surplus by purchasing them in the marketplace, and also authorizes USDA to distribute commodities domestically.

The food aid program makes the protein-rich seafood available to food banks and other food aid programs nationwide.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) announced Feb. 27 that the USDA would make a significant purchase of Alaska salmon and pollock in support of food and nutrition initiatives, in support of people experiencing food insecurity as well as school lunch programs.

In addition to providing food for those experiencing hunger, the purchases help processors to move to market surplus harvest still in storage from the 2023 salmon fisheries in Alaska.

ASMI noted that overall, the USDA had released bids for over 1.4 million cases of canned Alaska pink salmon, 300,000 cases of canned Alaska sockeye salmon and 15 million pounds of Alaska pollock fish sticks and fillets.

Last year, USDA purchased 47,000 cases of pink salmon 3.7 million pounds of sockeye salmon and some 2.2 million pounds of pollock between May and July, as well as purchases of rockfish totaling $8 million from Alaska and West Coast processors.

Alaska’s seafood industry has been struggling with a global surplus of seafood, which has led to declines and prices and low sales. ASMI said this latest USDA purchase would help boost the economy of Alaska harvesters processors and communities.

Source: https://fishermensnews.com/obi-peter-pan-seafoods-score-winning-bids-for-usda-salmon-solicitation/