USDA Grants to Strengthen Pennsylvania Meat and Poultry Supply Chains

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Wednesday announced an additional $21.9 million of funding is being awarded to 111 grant projects through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPIRG), bringing total funding to $54.6 million. This year's awards will fund projects in 37 states. The funding will help strengthen and develop new market opportunities for meat and poultry processors throughout the United States. To further these efforts, AMS is also encouraging MPIRG awardees and eligible participants in USDA's Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives to request assistance through the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA). Launched in March 2022, MPPTA connects participants to a nationwide network of resources and expertise.

"The Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants will help meat and poultry processors make necessary facility improvements, expand their businesses, and strengthen the nation's food supply chain," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "These grants are one part of USDA's Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives and will contribute to our efforts to transform our food system."

"USDA continues to build capacity and increase economic opportunity for small and midsized meat and poultry producers across the country," added Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt.

In Pennsylvania, projects funded this round include:

• Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, $184,500. Community Kitchen Pittsburgh is a 501c3 nonprofit workforce development agency centered on food industry jobs. They operate on a social enterprise model, with foodservice businesses providing revenues to support their programs and the foundation for applied training in an on-the-job setting. The target population for their workforce training is underserved individuals from non-traditional populations, including women, people of color, socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, individuals who were previously incarcerated, and individuals experiencing multiple barriers to employment. Community Kitchen Pittsburgh will use MPIRG funding to expand their processing capacity and sell the resulting raw product to consumers in their community who lack market or source of fresh meat.
• CHAPEL FORD FARM LLC, Gettysburg, $200,000. Chapel Ford Farm LLC is a very small processing plant located in a low-income, low-access area. They are a family-owned business which began operations in 2020. They offer Custom Exempt processing services and generate various types of value-added products. The facility is lacking the key modernization necessary to help achieve the USDA status needed to expand any further and comply with FSIS protocols.
• Unified Fields, Inc., Pittsburgh, $200,000. Founded in 2020 by an industry worker with 20 years experience, Unified Fields offers custom exempt mobile processing to local producers. In order to obtain a larger commercial presence, improve efficiency, increase access for smaller farms, and make more wholesome local products available to consumers, Unified Fields aims to obtain a federal grant of inspection for operations. The project will improve the safety and capacity of the mobile unit, allowing them to comply with regulations by formalizing and documenting standard operating procedures, sanitation standard operating procedures, HACCP plans, and other food safety practices.

Facility improvements and expansions funded through MPIRG will help processors obtain a Federal Grant of Inspection or qualify for a state's Cooperative Interstate Shipment program. Achieving a Federal Grant of Inspection or operating under a Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows meat and poultry processors to ship products across state lines, develop new markets, increase capacity, and better meet consumer and producer demand along the supply chain.

MPIRG recipients and other eligible participants, especially small and underserved stakeholders, in USDA's Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives are encouraged to take advantage of the broad technical assistance offered through MPPTA. AMS has cooperative agreements with six organizations to form the MPPTA network, which has already provided valuable assistance to over 300 businesses and organizations across the U.S. and its territories since its launch earlier this year.