‘Keep Florida growing’: Nikki Fried pushes to bring local food to Floridians

Will Commissioner Fried challenge the Governor next year?

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Monday spotlighted her latest effort to bring “Fresh from Florida” produce to Sunshine State residents.

The “Keep Florida Growing” web portal, asserts a release from her office, is a “a one-stop online portal with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ COVID-19 food and agriculture-related information for Florida’s farmers and ranchers, consumers, and news media.”

“With COVID-19 deeply affecting not only Floridians but also agriculture, our state’s second-largest economic driver, we’re launching a new one-stop page to support consumers and our agriculture community,” said Fried.

“We’re bringing together Floridians and their food producers in one place to share state and federal resources, ways to buy and sell farm-fresh Florida products, and information on steps we’re taking to keep Florida growing,” Fried added.

The site includes something broadly tailored for various subsets.

For farmers, ranchers, and others whose livelihood depends on food production, the page keeps a commodity list, which agriculture producers can use to market their output directly to consumers.

Consumers, meanwhile, will find “convenient access to food-related information, including a U-pick farm locator where farm-fresh produce can be found, reducing transportation costs for agriculture producers.”

“Consumers can also find information on the Department’s food assistance programs, including Summer BreakSpot meals for children under 18 during school closures, and Emergency Food Assistance Program locations for low-income families,” the media release notes.

Fried has devoted considerable energy in recent days to trying to get food to people, a process that until recent weeks was something most took for granted.

The Commissioner on Friday, mediated in favor of milk flowing freely to Florida families. She talked to Publix, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods, urging them to remove quantity limits on retail buys.

Earlier last week, the Commissioner pushed for easier access to eggs, issuing an Executive Order timed to accommodate the increased demand of these unprecedented times.

“During Commissioner Fried’s emergency order, packages of shell eggs will not be required to have printed certain information such as date of pack, grade, and size, although retailers will provide in-store statements with the information typically required,” a Tuesday release from Fried’s office says.