Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§7502 Availability of CCC commodities

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 102— - EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE › § 7502

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Agriculture Secretary can give extra farm commodities from the Commodity Credit Corporation to help domestic nutrition and food-distribution programs. The Secretary may only use commodities that are extra after meeting other donation programs, other domestic duties (including payment-in-kind acreage diversion), international market and food-aid commitments, and farm price and income stabilization needs under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, the Agricultural Act of 1949, and the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. The Secretary may also use other commodities made available under section 612c(2). Available foods include a variety useful to recipients, such as dairy, wheat and wheat products, rice, honey, and cornmeal. Starting April 1, 1986, the Secretary must report every six months to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on the types and amounts provided. Other programs may not reduce the usual quantities of dairy products for this or other domestic feeding programs. When donations exceed federal obligations, emergency feeding organizations must get equal consideration and may receive seasonal or irregular items. As soon as practical after February 7, 2014, the Secretary must finish and carry out a plan to buy more Kosher and Halal foods from certified manufacturers if those purchases are cost neutral compared to non-certified food, and to change commodity labeling so Kosher and Halal distributors can find the right items at local food banks.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §7502

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in order to complement the domestic nutrition programs, make maximum use of the Nation’s agricultural abundance, and expand and improve the domestic distribution of price-supported commodities, commodities acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation that the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) determines, in his discretion, are in excess of quantities needed to—
(1)carry out other domestic donation programs,
(2)meet other domestic obligations (including quantities needed to carry out a payment-in-kind acreage diversion program),
(3)meet international market development and food aid commitments, and
(4)carry out the farm price and income stabilization purposes of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 [7 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.], the Agricultural Act of 1949 [7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.], and the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act [15 U.S.C. 714 et seq.],
(b)
(c)In addition to any commodities described in subsection (a), in carrying out this chapter, the Secretary may use agricultural commodities and the products thereof made available under clause (2) of the second sentence of section 612c of this title.
(d)Commodities made available under this chapter shall include a variety of commodities and products thereof that are most useful to eligible recipient agencies, including, but not be 11 So in original. The word “be” probably should not appear. limited to, dairy products, wheat or the products thereof, rice, honey, and cornmeal.
(e)Effective April 1, 1986, the Secretary shall submit semiannually to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the types and amounts of commodities made available for distribution under this chapter.
(f)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the programs authorized by section 713a–14 of title 15 22 See References in Text note below. and section 1163 of the Food Security Act of 1985 shall not be operated in a manner that will, in any way, reduce the quantities of dairy products that traditionally are made available to carry out this chapter or any other domestic feeding program.
(g)(1)Whenever commodities acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation are made available for donation to domestic food programs in quantities that exceed Federal obligations, the Secretary shall give equal consideration to making donations of such commodities to emergency feeding organizations participating in the program authorized by this chapter as is given to other commodity recipient agencies, taking into account the types and amounts of commodities available and appropriate for distribution to these organizations.
(2)In determining the commodities that will be made available to emergency feeding organizations under this chapter, the Secretary may distribute commodities that become available on a seasonal or irregular basis.
(h)As soon as practicable after February 7, 2014, the Secretary shall finalize and implement a plan—
(1)to increase the purchase of Kosher and Halal food from food manufacturers with a Kosher or Halal certification to carry out the program established under this chapter if the Kosher and Halal food purchased is cost neutral as compared to food that is not from food manufacturers with a Kosher or Halal certification; and
(2)to modify the labeling of the commodities list used to carry out the program in a manner that enables Kosher and Halal distribution entities to identify which commodities to obtain from local food banks.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, referred to in subsec. (a)(4), is act Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, 52 Stat. 31, which is classified principally to chapter 35 (§ 1281 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1281 of this title and Tables. The Agricultural Act of 1949, referred to in subsec. (a)(4), is act Oct. 31, 1949, ch. 792, 63 Stat. 1051, which is classified principally to chapter 35A (§ 1421 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1421 of this title and Tables. The Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(4), is act June 29, 1948, ch. 704, 62 Stat. 1070, which is classified generally to subchapter II (§ 714 et seq.) of chapter 15 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 714 of Title 15 and Tables. Section 713a–14 of title 15, referred to in subsec. (f), was repealed by Pub. L. 113–79, title I, § 1423(a), Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 695. section 1163 of the Food Security Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (f), is section 1163 of Pub. L. 99–198, which is set out as a note under section 1731 of this title.

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 113–79 added subsec. (h). 1990—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 101–624 added subsec. (g). 1988—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–435 added subsec. (f). 1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–77, § 811(b), inserted subsec. (a) designation. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–77, § 811(a), inserted “a variety of commodities and products thereof that are most useful to eligible recipient agencies, including” after “shall include”. 1985—Pub. L. 99–198, § 1565(a), struck out subsec. (a) designation and struck out subsec. (b) which read as follows: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if wheat stocks acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation are not available for the purposes of this chapter, up to 300,000 metric tons of wheat designated under section 1736f–1(b)(1) of this title may be used for the purposes of this chapter. Any amount of wheat used from the Food Security Wheat Reserve under this chapter shall be replenished by an equivalent quantity of wheat under the provisions of section 1736f–1(b) of this title as soon as practicable, but before
October 1, 1985.” Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 99–198, § 1564(a), added subsecs. (c) to (e). 1983—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98–92, § 2(3), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, commodities acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation that are in excess of quantities needed for the fiscal year to carry out a payment-in-kind acreage diversion program, maintain U.S. share of world markets, and meet international market development and food aid commitments, shall be made available by the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the ‘Secretary’) without charge or credit in such fiscal year for use by eligible recipient agencies. Upon request, commodities provided by the CCC shall be provided in a form suitable for individual household or institutional use.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–92, § 2(4), substituted “may be used” for “shall be used” and directed the substitution of “
October 1, 1985” for “
December 1, 1983”, which was executed by making the substitution for “
December 31, 1983” to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–435 to be effective and implemented on Sept. 19, 1988, see section 701(b)(1) of Pub. L. 100–435, set out as a note under section 2012 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1983 Amendment Pub. L. 98–92, § 2, Sept. 2, 1983, 97 Stat. 608, provided in part that the amendment made by section 2 is effective Oct. 1, 1983.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 7502

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73