Just a few days after asking U.S. suppliers to bid on salmon, catfish, and walleye contracts with the federal government, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is requesting bids on nearly 2 million pounds of Alaska pollock.
The USDA is seeking to buy over 1.7 million pounds of four different Alaska pollock items for distribution in the National School Lunch Program and various other federal food and nutrition assistance programs. Bids are due by 9 May.
The USDA is asking for bids on 712,800 pounds of frozen bulk pollock, 874,000 pounds of breaded pollock sticks, 76,000 pounds of pollock fillets, and 76,000 pounds of frozen pollock sticks.
If fully awarded, USDA’s purchases of Alaska pollock will rise to over 28 million pounds in 2024, making it the second-biggest year ever for USDA Alaska pollock purchases. The contracts will push USDA pollock purchases 2.7 million pounds past 2023’s total, Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers CEO Craig Morris told SeafoodSource. The current purchase year goes through 30 September.
Last week, the USDA asked seafood suppliers to bid on contracts to supply salmon, catfish, and walleye for domestic food distribution programs. That deadline has been extended to 17 May. The USDA is seeking to buy 117,040 cases of canned pink salmon, 36,000 pounds of wild frozen salmon fillets, and 72,000 pounds of frozen walleye fillets.
In the agency’s solicitation for bids on catfish, it said it is seeking bids on 240,000 pounds of oven-ready breaded catfish strips and 152,000 pounds of raw unbreaded catfish fillets for a total of 392,000 pounds.
