# What the Wholesale Produce Market Review Act Does

This bill asks the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how well America's wholesale produce markets are working and what problems they're facing. Wholesale produce markets are the big distribution centers where fruits and vegetables are bought and sold in bulk before they reach grocery stores and restaurants. The bill requires the Agriculture Secretary to write a detailed report within one year, looking at both the largest markets in the country and a sample of smaller ones to get a complete picture of the system.

The report needs to dig into several specific problems. It will examine the physical condition of the facilities themselves—things like roads leading to the markets, storage units for keeping produce fresh, and fuel stations for delivery trucks. It will also look at environmental concerns, including whether markets have technology to reduce carbon emissions, green refueling stations for cleaner vehicles, and plans to handle disasters like floods or extreme weather. The report will investigate how well these markets can recover from disruptions and coordinate with government agencies when problems occur.

Based on what the Agriculture Secretary finds, the bill requires recommendations for how market owners, state and local governments, and the federal government can fix these problems. This might include suggestions for new laws or funding to upgrade aging infrastructure, improve environmental practices, or strengthen the supply chain so produce gets to stores more reliably. Essentially, this is a fact-finding mission to understand why produce sometimes doesn't reach stores smoothly and what investments might be needed to fix the system—which could ultimately affect prices and availability of fresh produce for everyday shoppers.

Wholesale Produce Market Review Act

Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]

Wholesale Produce Market Review Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to submit to Congress a report on supply chain shortfalls at (1) the five largest wholesale produce markets by annual sales and amount of goods moved for the preceding four calendar years, and (2) a representative sample of eight wholesale produce markets that are not among the largest wholesale produce markets. The report must contain (1) an analysis of the supply chain shortfalls in each wholesale produce market, including the state of repair of infrastructure; (2) a description of any actions USDA recommends be taken as a result of the analysis; (3) recommendations for wholesale produce market owners and operators, and state and local entities, to improve the identified supply chain shortfalls; and (4) proposals for legislative actions and funding needed to improve the supply chain shortfalls.