Publix buys 5M pounds of produce, 350k gallons of milk to support farmers, food banks

LAKELAND, Fla. — Farmers and food banks have received lots of support from Publix during the coronavirus pandemic and the grocery has no plans to stop soon.

Publix announced it has purchased more than 5 million pounds of produce and 350,000 gallons of milk from farmers across the southeast.

All the purchases have been donated to Feeding America food banks in the states.

“During these challenging times, we remain committed to working together to find the solutions that positively impact our communities in need. We are honored to continue our support of Feeding America member food banks and to purchase produce and milk from farmers across the Southeast,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “As the harvest season moves north, so is our initiative, expanding to support additional farmers and serve as many people as possible.”

Publix launched its daily and produce program back in April as they saw farmers forced to discard produce and raw milk because of schools, restaurants and hotels shutting down.

The program started with Florida farmers, but it recently expanded to include farmers in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

The grocer plans to added Tennessee and Virginia farmers soon, too.

Publix says it has donated more than $2 billion in food to people in need since 2009 and has pledged an additional $2 billion in food donations over the next 10 years.

Cox Media Group