CFSC Policy Update Archive
Good News for Local Food Procurement in Schools
For those of us interested in the issue of local food in schools, a legal analysis was
recently completed that helps to clarify what various laws say about whether schools can
buy from local farmers and if they are allowed to put either a price or a bidding
preference for food grown in the local area. There has been much confusion about this
issue, and an attempt has now been made to analyze and clarify what the law actually
requires and which laws or rules override others.
The legal analysis, written by a legal
team that included Peter Riggs from the Forum on Democracy and Trade, and Richard Caplan
and Matthew Porterfield from Georgetown Law, argues that under current law, schools are
allowed to preference local if they would like to, but they are not required to. This is
very exciting news for those of us interested in local food and school food issues, and
hopefully this document will help to pave the way for more local food in schools and thus
a benefit to local farmers supplying schools.
Read the information packet about this issue for schools interested in sourcing food locally.
CFSC Response to the proposed WIC rules:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued the long awaited proposed
regulations to improve the nutritional value of the Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) food packages. The proposed regulations, based on a report by the Institute
of Medicine, promote food choices for WIC recipients (over 8 million nationally)
that are healthier and more sensitive to the cultural needs of the program’s diverse
client base. In general, they reduce the amount of dairy, egg, and fruit juice products
that WIC recipients may purchase with their vouchers and, for the first time, add a
substantial portion of fruits and vegetables to the overall food packages.
The proposed regulations also offer exciting news for local food advocates and
farmers’ markets. In addition to adding almost $500 million per year in fruit and
vegetable buying power to WIC food packages, they allow the produce to be purchased
at farmers’ markets. This is the first time that farmers’ markets will be eligible
vendors for the use of regular – as distinct from the special Farmers’ Market
Nutrition Program – WIC food vouchers. While it is impossible to know how much
additional farmers’ market sales the new regulations may generate, reasonable
estimates put that number at as much as $75 million per year (states with year
round markets, like California, would generate proportionally more sales than
states with seasonal markets). Read the letter that CFSC sent to the USDA
here. Read more information about the Coalition's
reaction to the rules here.
Response to the Kind Bill, H.R. 6064:
On September 13, 2006, Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI, 3rd) introduced a bill numbered H.R. 6064
in the House of Representatives called the "Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act of 2006".
The bill includes numerous provisions for protecting, expanding, and restoring
agricultural conservation programs, and it also includes sections on research,
renewable energy, and healthy food choices.
The Community Food Security Coalition is encouraged by the inclusion of the section
on Healthy Food Choices, as it confirms the Congressman's support of these issues.
This section incorporates funding for some of CFSC's top program priorities, including
Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, Farm to Cafeteria, Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program, Farmers' Market Promotion Program, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program.
At this time, CFSC is not formally endorsing the bill, though as previously stated we are
very much in favor of the provisions within the Healthy Food Choices Title. Rep. Kind has
been a strong ally of CFSC in the past, and we are confident that we will continue to work
together towards our common goals and are interested in further discussion on these issues.
While CFSC supports many of the programs addressed in the bill, we feel there are gaps in
the Healthy Food Choices Title that need attention. For example, one of the major barriers
identified for Farm to Cafeteria projects is the prohibition on geographic preferences
enforced by USDA. Locally-grown food served in school cafeterias benefits farmers, students,
and communities, and to insure success for Farm to Cafeteria, this issue will have to be
addressed in some way. Another CFSC priority is building infrastructure for local and
regional food systems and finding ways for the federal government to encourage production,
marketing, distribution, and consumption that promotes local and regional food. While the
Healthy Farms, Foods, and Fuels Act addresses these issues by providing funding for existing
programs, there are also policy changes that are necessary if the proposed funding is to
make a difference. Programs and policies addressing urban agriculture and retail food access
are also absent from the current bill, and we believe addressing this area is critical to
creating an accessible healthful food system.
In addition to the priorities mentioned above, we are also aware that our allies in the
sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and anti-hunger communities are seeking critical
policy changes to advance the cause of healthy farms, food, and communities that are not
captured in HR 6064, as well as seeking improvements and corrections to provisions that
are in the bill. We look forward to working with them and with Rep. Kind and his
co-sponsors, as well as all other Members, as preparations are made for legislative
introductions in the new Congress with an eye to the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization.
Farm to Cafeteria in 2006:
Helping Farmers, Kids, and Communities
The Basics:
Farm to Cafeteria, or "Access to Local Foods and School Gardens," was authorized as
Section 122 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The goal of
Farm to Cafeteria (or Farm to School, as it is sometimes called) is to create
projects linking farms and schools--bringing locally-grown food into the school
lunch program. The language of the bill creates
a competitive seed grant fund to create new Farm to Cafeteria projects around the
country. These one-time grants cover the initial costs associated with a new Farm
to Cafeteria project, including food procurement, storage and cutting equipment, staff
time and training, educational and promotional materials, and creation of school gardens.
Farm to Cafeteria is distinct from other governmental programs because of its local
focus, one-time funding, emphasis on experiential nutrition education, and because
it's a win-win situation for farmers, kids, and communities.
Learn more:
Fact sheet on Farm to Cafeteria.
Fact sheet to give to your legislator or their staff.
Recent Action:
In March of 2006, over 300 national, regional, state, and local organizations signed
a letter to Congress,
asking their legislators to invest $5 million in Fiscal Year 2007 (FY'07) in the health of
our farms, kids, and communities with Farm to Cafeteria. Every member in the Senate and
the House of Representatives received a copy. National organizations included the
Community Food Security Coalition, America's Second Harvest, Society for Nutrition
Education, National Farmers Union, Congressional Hunger Center, National Family Farm
Coalition, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and MANY MORE!
Action Alert!
Federal funds are needed to implement this crucial program! While the program
was "authorized" (or made into law) in 2004, Congress has yet to give it any money.
The FY 2007 budget process started in early February 2006 when President Bush unveiled
his federal budget to Congress, which did not fund Farm to Cafeteria. Staff at CFSC have
been working hard to change this situation, with the help of may of our
partner organizations who support this effort.
Twenty Senators have also pledged their support to Farm to Cafeteria funding, and signed
a Dear Colleague letter to the leaders of the
Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee requesting them to fund Section 122.
What you can do right now:
Contact your Senators and Congressperson and ask them to advocate for $5 million for
"Access to Local Foods and School Gardens," Section 122 of the Child Nutrition Act,
during the agricultural appropriations process. Explain that the legislation will
help bring fresh, locally-grown food into schools, improving children's health and
supporting family farmers and that a modest investment in these start-up grants will
help schools develop lasting farm to cafeteria programs. For more specific talking
points, see our fact sheet or our most recent
action alert. Want help? Take a look at our
Federal Policy Advocacy Handbook.
When you call, ask to speak to the staff who deals with agriculture and nutrition.
If you leave a message, be sure to give your name, address, and phone number, and
tell them you are a constituent.
You can contact any legislator's office by calling the Capitol Switchboard at
(202) 224-3121. You may also find your Senators' contact information at
www.senate.gov and your Representative's
contact information at www.house.gov.
Farm and Food Policy Project (FFPP):
A collaboration to promote a more fair, progressive Farm Bill
In June/July 2005, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) made four grants totaling
$4.675 million to American Farmland Trust, the Community Food Security Coalition,
Environmental Defense, and the Northeast-Midwest Institute "to work collaboratively
to advance four interlocking policy initiatives that will unite diverse constituencies
and help to build a more sustainable agriculture and food system in the United States."
CFSC is convening the Healthy Food and Communities Work Group, the purpose of which is
to identify and develop policies that end hunger and ensure fair access to healthy and
affordable food for all Americans, especially the poor, children, and elderly; that
promote new opportunities for farmers to sell their goods to schools, universities,
hospitals, corporations, and all public institutions; that protect the land, environment,
and other food producing natural resources; and that rebuild and restore regional food
and agriculture systems to enhance the economic livelihoods of family farms and rural
communities. The working group will research, analyze, develop and prioritize policy
options in close cooperation with the other three working groups.
Throughout the spring of 2006, the FFPP partners have been working together to find
areas of agreement related to the Farm Bill, and what types of policies the group will
advocate for. If you would like to be involved in the Healthy Food and Communities Work
Group, please contact Steph Larsen at
steph@foodsecurity.org or at 202.543.8602.
To learn more about the exciting work that the Food and Farm Policy Project (FFPP) is
engaged in, please visit the following links:
Your organization can hold its own listening session. Here is more information about what questions to ask:
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