BOSTON — Shelves at Massachusetts food banks may look emptier after the most recent round of USDA cuts.
On Thursday, the state’s food banks were informed by the Massachusetts Office of Education that $3.3 million worth of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) food items were cancelled by the USDA.
The cancellations total about 122,000 cases of food assistance.
According to a Greater Boston Food Bank spokesperson, nearly $2.3 million of that money, which equates to about 105,000 cases of protein, dairy, and produce, were scheduled to come to their facilities, but have since been cancelled.
The food bank’s president and CEO expressed concern about what it means for the people they serve.
“The Greater Boston Food Bank is already facing increased demand for nutritious food across our network of 600 food pantries across Eastern Massachusetts,” President and CEO Catherine D’Amato said. “TEFAP is a vital program that provides the Mass Coalition of Food Banks with a reliable source of fresh agricultural products including produce, proteins and dairy, the most requested items by the people we serve.”
Thursday’s TEFAP food items cancellation represents about 3% of the GBFB’s total food distribution across Eastern Massachusetts. The items include pears, apples, dried plums and cranberries, and canned vegetables; proteins such as chicken, pork and canned salmon; as well as milk, eggs, pinto beans, and egg noodles.
“The cancelations of federal commodities will reduce food throughout our region, making it more difficult for food insecure people to feed themselves and their families,” D’Amato said. “GBFB will need to raise money to replace and purchase this healthy food that our neighbors so desperately need.”
In a statement, the USDA said there has been no pause in regular TEFAP purchases.
“The funding that was designated from CCC has been repurposed,” a USDA spokesperson said. “The Biden Administration created unsustainable programming and expectations using the Commodity Credit Corporation. Regardless, USDA continues to purchase food for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), with over $166 million spent in FY 2025 to date for program requirements. USDA also is using Section 32 purchases to support TEFAP, purchasing over $300 million in various poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. USDA recently approved an additional $261 million in Section 32 purchases to provide even more fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts to TEFAP.”
It is unclear if any of those purchases will directly affect Massachusetts food banks.
Last week, the USDA said they would be ending the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), a pandemic-era program, after providing 60-day notification. It’s unclear if the TEFAP cancellations are a part of these cuts.
“USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact,” a spokesperson said in response to the LFPA ending. “The COVID era is over—USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”
Earlier this month, Governor Maura Healey criticized the Trump Administration for cancelling more than $12 million in federal funding, known as Northeast Food for Schools (NFS), in Massachusetts.
The funds were to be used to provide local healthy food to child care programs and schools, and to create new procurement relationships with local farmers and small businesses, according to Healey’s office.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have declared that feeding children and supporting local farmers are no longer ‘priorities,’ and it’s just the latest terrible cut with real impact on families across Massachusetts,” she said.
“There is nothing ‘appropriate’ about it. Trump and Musk are continuing to withhold essential funding in violation of court orders, and our children, farmers and small businesses are bearing the brunt of it.”
TEFAP, first authorized in 1981, is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low-income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
