Posted February 27, 2014
California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez introduced a
bill that would create the “Office of Farm to Fork” within the California
Department of Food and Agriculture, according to an article by the Sacramento
Bee available here.
AB 2413, available here,
would create the office to “promote healthy food access, especially in
underserved communities, and seek collaborations between public health
agencies, farmers and other parties.”
According to Will Shuck, communications director for
Speaker Perez, the bill is not aimed at local restaurants or local farm to fork
initiatives, but “geared toward broader food access and building healthy
communities.” Shuck said, “It’s as much
about health and low-carbon footprints, and the broader farm-to-fork
movement…It’s about people who have very few (food) choices.”
AB 2413 is similar to AB
38, introduced by Perez in 2012.
For more information on local food systems, please
visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
