Definitive Contract 123J1426C0296

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) awarded a definitive contract to Knouse Foods, Inc. on December 9, 2025, valued at $2.17 million for the supply of canned apple products intended for domestic food assistance programs. The contract, designated as a partial small business set-aside, requires delivery of apple slices and unsweetened applesauce in 6/10 ounce cans to Peach Glen, Pennsylvania, with a completion date of March 31, 2026. Knouse Foods, a Pennsylvania-based agricultural cooperative and self-certified small disadvantaged business, specializes in apple-based food commodities and has established a track record of fulfilling USDA food procurement requirements under firm fixed-price contracts. The commodities procured under this contract will support the USDA's food assistance initiatives, including programs such as the National School Lunch Program.

This procurement originated from a combined synopsis and solicitation posted by AMS on November 21, 2025, seeking canned and frozen fruit products for domestic food assistance programs on an FOB destination basis. As with all USDA agricultural commodity procurements, the contract requires that all products be domestically produced in compliance with the Agricultural Acquisition Regulation. Knouse Foods' selection as the awardee demonstrates the company's continued capability to meet federal standards for food commodity supply, building on its established history of delivering various apple products in multiple packaging formats to support the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service and broader food assistance mission.