36 SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY VALUE CREATION AND QUALITY SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES SUPPORTING OUR TEAM MEMBERS USDA PARTNERSHIP Through our partnership with the USDA, Pacific Seafood provides healthy seafood to food banks, schools, and Emergency Food Assistance Programs in all 50 states. In 2020, Pacific Seafood began its partnership with the USDA, when we, along with others in the seafood industry, advocated, assembled, and led a historic, national coalition to secure relief for the U.S. seafood industry. Since our partnership began, the USDA has committed to receiving West Coast seafood products from Pacific Seafood and other West Coast seafood processors. According to a 2022 report from the Government Office of Accountability, seafood made up just 1-2% of all animal proteins that the USDA purchased for the program (about 3 oz per student per year) in 2014-2019. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends school-age children should consume between 4 to 10 ounces of seafood per week. The office recommended the USDA develop a plan to enhance its assistance in providing seafood to students. Pacific Seafood is proud to be a part of that effort and is continuously working to provide more students and their families with healthy West Coast seafood options in all 50 states. Efforts continue to create a long-term partnership with the USDA by advocating for the creation of new programs. Our teams are working closely with a national industry coalition and lawmakers to make revisions to the 2024 Farm Bill to support the creation of an office of Seafood policy and programs at the USDA. This would create new programs aiming to provide more access to seafood in schools, as well as establishing new grant programs such as a Seafood Production Expansion Program to modernize seafood processing, foster efficiency, and bolster resilience in our supply chain. WA CA NV UT AZ WY CO NM TX OK IL MO MI VT IN OH NY PA WV KY SC NC VA AL GA FL TN AR MS ME LA ND SD MN WI IA NE AK HI GUAM U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS PUERTO RICO OR MT KSª ID NH MA RI CT NJ DE MD DC AVERAGE OUNCES PER STUDENTS 0 2.9 3.0 5.9 6.0 8.9 9.0 11.9 12.0 15.0 3 oz = 3 Fish Sticks Sources: GAO analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) information; Map Resources (map). | GAO-23-105179 Average Quantity of Seafood That USDA Purchased per Student Participating in the National School Lunch Program by State per Fiscal Year, 2014 through 2019 aKansas receives cash payments in lieu of USDA-purchased foods. Because Kansas does not order USDA-purchased food, Kansas is not represented in the seafood data reported for this program. ANNUALLY STUDENTS ARE SERVED ONLY
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