MARYLAND FOOD CENTER AUTHORITY

7801 Oceano Ave.
Jessup, MD 20794

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

The Maryland Food Center Authority started in 1967 as the Greater Baltimore Consolidated Wholesale Food Market Authority (Chapter 145, Acts of 1967). The Authority was formed to establish and run a consolidated food center within the Greater Baltimore Region. In 1975, the Authority was reorganized as the Maryland Wholesale Food Center Authority (Chapter 729, Acts of 1975). The Authority received its present name in 1979 (Chapter 482, Acts of 1979).

The Authority has twelve members. Eight are named to five-year terms by the Governor with Senate advice and consent. Four serve ex officio (Code 1957, Art. 83A, secs. 6-101 through 6-121).

MARYLAND WHOLESALE FOOD CENTER

The Authority is developing a 398-acre site for the Maryland Wholesale Food Center. Immediately adjacent to Interstate 95, the Center is located in Howard County near Jessup at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Maryland Route 175. Rail-served, the Center is less than 20 minutes from shippers through the Port of Baltimore or BWI Airport.

The Center includes the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market and the Maryland Wholesale Seafood Market. With many different types of food operations at one site, the Center provides quality food products efficiently and inexpensively and employs nearly 4,200 people. By February 1996, approximately 3,611,190 square feet of food warehousing space had been completed or was under construction within the Center.

MARYLAND WHOLESALE PRODUCE MARKET
7460 Conowingo Ave.
Jessup, MD 20794

The Maryland Wholesale Produce Market opened in 1976. The Market distributes nearly all of the fresh fruits and vegetables sold throughout a five-state Mid-Atlantic area and the District of Columbia. It is a critical link in the daily supply of produce to restaurants, chain grocers, hotels, wholesale food processors, and consumer buying groups.

The Market distributes an enormous volume of produce, including exotic varieties and items which might otherwise be unavailable unless purchased in very large shipments. In its two buildings, virtually any type of produce grown in the United States and around the world is available daily. On-site inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture grade all produce, verifying quality every day.

MARYLAND WHOLESALE SEAFOOD MARKET
7901-A Oceano Ave.
Jessup, MD 20794

The Maryland Wholesale Seafood Market opened in 1984 when the Baltimore Fish Market closed. The Market's ten wholesalers form one of the largest operations on the East coast supplying fresh seafood to the East. Wholesalers use high technology to market fresh seafood to restaurants, grocers, and seafood stores. In addition to local specialties caught in Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic waters, the Market often receives exotic imports through nearby BWI Airport.

ROCK HALL SEAFOOD PROCESSING PLANT

P. O. Box 544
Rock Hall, MD 21661

In 1989, the Authority acquired the Rock Hall Seafood Processing Plant in Kent County. This waterside plant is accessible to both Chesapeake Bay watermen and land-based operations which depend upon Bay natural resources, such as finfish and shellfish.

Maryland Manual On-Line