It's part of a federal program that helps protect U.S. farmers who grow highly nutritional products from lower-priced foreign imports.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Tuesday announced the purchase of 25 tons of the fruit. The purchase is more than double the $11.7 million of fruit the government purchased last year.

The prunes, which are made from dried French D'Agen plums, will be shipped to food banks and nutrition programs across the country.

California grows 99 percent of the U.S. supply.