The Biden-Harris administration is working to lower costs at the grocery story by both expanding and increasing competition in the meat and poultry processing industry through a historic investment.
According to a Nov. 2 news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program will set aside $73 million for 21 grant projects in the first round of funding.
"Since President Biden laid out a commitment at the start of this year, USDA has worked tirelessly to give farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete in the marketplace, which in turn helps lower food costs for the American people," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release.
The program looks to expand the nation's capacity for processing meat and poultry, which will have a chain reaction effect in boosting profits for producers and create more competition and jobs while decreasing prices for the consumer, the release noted.
According to the release, President Joe Biden talked about how having a more fair market would help family farm operations contribute and put a stop to rising prices at the grocery store.
In the release, Vilsack noted helping independent processing plants expand gives farmers a chance to "get a fair price, while strengthening supply chains, delivering more food produced closer to home for families, expanding economic opportunity, and creating jobs in rural America."
