摘要：USDA.s Farm Service Agency (FSA) purchases food products for distributionthrough several of the Department.s food assistance programs. This report describesFSA purchase methods and compares them to procurement strategies used by otherFederal agencies and by private sector firms. It summarizes the principal policyissues faced by FSA in designing procurement strategies. Finally, it uses a detailedstatistical analysis to compare FSA prices to those realized in the private sector, andto identify the separate effects of agricultural commodity prices, seasonality, clientlocation, purchase volumes, product characteristics, and competition on FSA prod-uct prices.
