Obama Administration’s Explanation For Millions Spent On Ham Still Leaves Something To Be Desired

There’s been a lot of attention, recently, paid to some entries on Obama’s Recovery.gov website which is supposed to provide transparency to “stimulus” spending so that we know our money hasn’t been wasted. Some of the entries seem to indicate that millions had been spent on things like ham. But now Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has responded with a reasonable-sounding explanation.

“Through the Recovery Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made $100 million available to the states for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which acquires food that is distributed to local organizations that assist the needy – including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens.
The Recovery Act funds referenced in press reports allowed states to purchase ham, cheese and dairy products for these food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries that provide assistance to people who otherwise do not have access to food. This program will help reduce hunger of those hardest hit by the current economic recession.
The references to “2 pound frozen ham sliced” are to the sizes of the packaging. Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy “2 pounds of ham” are wrong. In fact, the contract in question purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191m, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound. In terms of the dairy purchase referenced, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) purchased 837,936 pounds of mozzarella cheese and 4,039,200 pounds of processed cheese.

That’s all well and good, I guess, though I’m still not sure why we’re to believe that this is going to help stimulate economic growth and employment. But whatever.
Here’s something else I’d like an explanation for: Why is the federal government paying $1.50 per pound for sliced ham when I can get a pound of sliced ham from my grocery store for $0.80?
Leave it to the federal government to pay twice the market value.