BILL NUMBER: AB 2384	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Leno

                        FEBRUARY 23, 2006

   An act to add Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 104601) to
Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to nutrition.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2384, as introduced, Leno  Nutrition: Healthy Food Purchase
Pilot Program.
   Existing law requires the State Department of Health Services to
establish and implement, to the extent funds are available that are
other than state general funds, a "5 A Day--For Better Health"
program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of the need to
increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables as part of a
low-fat, high-fiber diet in order to improve health and prevent major
chronic diseases, including diet-related cancers.
   This bill would require the department to develop a "Healthy Food
Purchase" pilot program to increase the sale and purchase of fresh
fruits and vegetables in low-income communities, as specified.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The new federal dietary guidelines encourage all Americans to
eat more fruits and vegetables, and for most people, the new
recommended amount was double the previous guidelines.
   (b) Clear and overwhelming evidence indicates that eating more
fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of diet-related
chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and many cancers, as
well as help to maintain a healthy body weight.
   (c) Recent research in California confirms that, healthier foods,
including fresh fruits and vegetables, are less available and more
costly in low-income communities, and that the higher cost and lower
availability inhibit their purchase by food stamp recipients and
other low-income individuals.
   (d) The State Department of Health Services is currently required
by state law to establish and implement the California 5 a Day--for
Better Health (5 a Day) program to increase consumption of fruits and
vegetables in order to improve health and prevent major chronic
diseases, including diet-related cancers.
   (e) Current funding restrictions prohibit the 5 a Day program from
implementing important marketing and promotion activities in retail
and grocery stores where consumers make their food choices.
   (f) The pilot program established pursuant to this act is aimed at
improving the health and nutrition of low-income Californians by
responding to the problem of limited local and affordable access to
fresh fruits and vegetables. The primary strategies tested in the
pilot program will be aimed at increasing the availability of fresh
fruits and vegetables at small neighborhood grocery stores, and
making fresh produce purchases a smart economic choice for those with
very limited food budgets.
  SEC. 2.  Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 104601) is added to
Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code, to
read:

      Article 1.5.  Healthy Food Purchase Pilot Program

   104601.  (a) The department shall develop a "Healthy Food Purchase"
pilot program to increase the sale and purchase of fresh fruits and
vegetables in low-income communities.
   (b) The department shall design the program to include the
following two components:
   (1) Strategies aimed at small grocers in targeted low-income
neighborhoods to increase the offerings of fresh fruits and
vegetables in those communities. In selected pilot program
communities, the department shall provide targeted food retailers
with support to obtain refrigerated produce display cases through the
assessment of the feasibility of a variety of financing methods
including, but not limited to, leasing, lending, small business and
economic development support, and others. The department shall also
provide technical assistance to targeted retailers on the purchase,
storage, marketing, and display of fresh produce.
   (2) Strategies aimed at food stamp recipients to increase their
purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables by making those products more
affordable, including the development and implementation of
financial incentives. The department shall seek any necessary federal
government approvals to allow use of the Food Stamp Electronic
Benefits Card, as provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section
10065) of Part 1 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,
to provide those incentives.
   (c) The department shall seek all necessary approvals to establish
the pilot program, and shall apply for available federal matching
funds to fund the pilot program.
   (d) The department shall develop a process for evaluating the
effectiveness of the program, and shall make recommendations to the
Legislature regarding the possible expansion of the pilot program.