Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced a historic partnership between the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Feeding Florida to increase the amount of fresh, protein-rich, Florida products provided to food banks across the state. The partnership increases funding available to Florida food banks — for the first time ever — to source surplus Florida-grown beef, eggs, and dairy products, which have historically been the most challenging and expensive commodities for food banks to source.

In the battle against food insecurity, the Feeding Florida food bank staff working in food procurement play a critical role. From handling perishable items to forging partnerships with local businesses and farmers, every aspect of the food banks’ procurement process is vital in ensuring that communities have access to nutritious food. In this blog post, we’ll hear from some of our food bank procurement teams as they share their perspectives on food sourcing.

The focus on food safety is one of the key things that makes Feeding America food banks unique- and why it’s ingrained into the very fiber of how our food banks operate. With a firm commitment to maintaining the highest standards of food safety, our food banks follow stringent requirements, thorough training, and ongoing support for our food bank teams and partners.

Feeding Florida, Feeding Northeast Florida, and Bread of the Mighty celebrated the culmination of a major project to source local Florida beef for those who need it most. A large-scale food distribution event at Chiefland Methodist Church featured not only fresh produce and shelf-stable goods, but also locally-sourced beef that came directly from Chiefland-based cattle ranch and Farmers Feeding Florida partner, Quincey Cattle Company.

Last month, Feeding Florida’s Fresh Access Bucks (FAB) hosted their first Seeds to Success event. The virtual event offered the opportunity for attendees to connect with Florida farmers, farmers markets, and community partners, as well as organizations who are working to bring local food to individuals and families in Florida.

Did you know that learning about food can help you eat healthier and save money, and also reduce waste? Feeding Florida’s nine network food banks are making this possible through their SNAP-Education Program, the Florida Nutrition Education Program. Read on for some of the valuable food waste prevention methods our SNAP-Ed classes are teaching in communities across the state.

Feeding Tampa Bay was one of the five Feeding Florida food banks to collectively receive $100,000 in community capacity building grants from the Duke Energy Foundation. This news story by the Tampa ABC affiliate takes a look at the local level impact this support provides, highlighting St. Vincent de Paul which is now able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families in need.

Noble Citrus and Feeding Florida have worked together for years, providing excess tangerines, a vitamin-rich, nutritious fruit, to the food insecure families our food banks serve. Our partnership has grown into the ability to plan product loads, becoming part of the production that ensures this healthy food will reach the tables of those who need it most. We chatted with Adam about this long-standing relationship, asked him to help us explain the Famers Feeding Florida program from a grower’s perspective, and detailed why supplying product to the charitable network means so much to Noble Citrus and the Roe family.

There are many things we can negotiate in life when we don’t have enough financial resources.
Food is not one of those things.
Every person needs access to nutritious food, and they need it every day. This is true especially during vulnerable times.

Florida Politics recently spoke with Noble Citrus Director of Procurement Adam Roe about the company’s partnership with Feeding Florida, a statewide food bank network.