PBFI Public Comments to USDA on the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative

Submitted March 8, 2024

[Doc. No. AMS-SC-23-0073] Request for Information Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative

Preview: On behalf of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), the Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI), and our more than 250 member companies, I am writing in response to the “Request for Information Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative.” PBFA is the leading U.S. trade association representing the plant-based foods industry. Our industry is a growing economic force all across the country, creating thousands of U.S. jobs and providing new opportunities for American farmers to grow crops like oats, legumes, and mushrooms to fuel the plant-based foods market. We support USDA’s Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative and a broad effort to grow the crops our companies use domestically, providing new opportunities for American farm families and for rural communities.

Specialty crops, including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, and dried fruits, are key ingredients in plant-based food products and increasingly in demand from consumers choosing nutritious plant-based diets. Additionally, sourcing crops like nuts and fruits from trees and shrubs offers important climate benefits from perennial systems