Maine lawmakers U.S. Sen. Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree are urging the federal government to buy 18 million pounds of frozen Maine blueberries for use in school lunch and food assistance programs.
The legislators say Maine’s 2014 wild blueberry harvest was reportedly the second highest on record. They say the crop was about 20 percent larger than an average year. The legislators say the government’s purchase of the blueberries would address an ongoing oversupply problem, as sales of blueberries have not kept up with the surge in production.
King, an Independent, and Pingree, a Democrat, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday pushing for the government to buy the berries. They say they are making the push for Maine’s 510 wild blueberry growers and processors.
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