§ 1431e. Distribution of surplus commodities to special nutrition projects; reprocessing agreements with private companies
(1)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever Government stocks of commodities are acquired under the price support programs and are not likely to be sold by the Commodity Credit Corporation or otherwise used in programs of commodity sale or distribution, such commodities shall be made available without charge or credit to nutrition projects under the authority of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), to child nutrition programs providing food service, and to food banks participating in the special nutrition projects established under section
4004 of this title. Such distribution may include bulk distribution to congregate nutrition sites and to providers of home delivered meals under the Older Americans Act of 1965. The Commodity Credit Corporation is authorized to use available funds to operate the program under this subsection and to further process products to facilitate bonus commodity use. Commodities made available under this section shall include, but not be limited to, dairy products, wheat or the products thereof, rice, honey, and cornmeal.
(2)
(A)
For each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012, whenever a commodity is made available without charge or credit under any nutrition program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary shall encourage consumption of such commodity through agreements with private companies under which the commodity is reprocessed into end-food products for use by eligible recipient agencies. The expense of reprocessing shall be paid by such eligible recipient agencies.
(B)
To maintain eligibility to enter into, and to continue, any agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture under subparagraph (A), a private company shall annually settle all accounts with the Secretary and any appropriate State agency regarding commodities processed under such agreements.
(C)
Whenever commodities are made available to agencies pursuant to section 311(a)(4) [1] of the Older Americans Act of 1965, the Secretary shall encourage access to processed end products containing the commodities when in the Secretary’s judgment it is cost effective. The requirements of this subparagraph shall be met in the most efficient and effective way possible. The Secretary may, among other alternatives, use direct purchase, State option contracts authorized under section 3A of the Commodity Distribution Reform Act and WIC Amendments of 1987 (Public Law 100–237; 7 U.S.C. 612c note ), State processing programs, and (beginning in fiscal year 1994) agreements with private companies operated as a part of the national commodity processing program.
(D)
In each of fiscal years 1992, 1993, and 1994, the Secretary shall conduct a pilot project in not more than three States under which any commodity made available to agencies pursuant to section 311(a)(4) [1] of the Older Americans Act of 1965 that the Secretary determines to be appropriate for reprocessing is made available to the agencies as reprocessed end products. The reprocessing shall be performed pursuant to agreements with private companies, at the expense of the agencies, and operated as part of the national commodity processing program established under subparagraph (A). In determining the appropriateness of the commodities to be reprocessed under the pilot project, the Secretary shall consider the common needs of the agencies and the availability of processors.
[1] See References in Text note below.