BILL NUMBER: AB 2586	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hueso

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2012

   An act relating to food access.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2586, as introduced, Hueso. The California Healthy Choices
Program.
   Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture,
headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and
protect the agricultural industry of the state. Existing law also
establishes the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative for the
purpose of promoting healthy food access in the state, and requires
the department to implement the initiative.
   This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to establish
the California Healthy Choices Program, a voluntary grocery store
certification program, to be implemented by the department. The bill
would state findings and declarations relating to stocking and
promoting of healthy foods in stores.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
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) Despite various local and state policies to encourage healthy
living, the percentage of overweight and obese people in California
continues to be a major concern.
   (b) A recent study by the University of California at Los Angeles
found that between 2005 and 2010, more than half of the counties in
the state experienced an increase in rates of overweight and obese
youth.
   (c) According to an annual report by the Trust for America's
Health, nearly 25 percent of adults in California are obese and an
additional 37 percent are overweight.
   (d) Being overweight or obese is associated with serious health
risks, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
   (e) Being overweight and obese have significant economic impacts,
both directly and indirectly. Direct costs may include diagnostic and
treatment services related to being overweight and obese. Indirect
costs may include decreased productivity, restricted activity, and
future value lost by premature death. It has been estimated that
California families, employers, the health care industry, and the
government pay more than $21 billion each year on costs related to
being overweight and obese.
   (f) Regional variations in overweight and obesity rates exemplify
how differences in demographic, social, economic, and environmental
characteristics and local policies and programs play a major role in
healthy options for a community.
   (g) The food environment in California varies greatly, and some
counties have limited access to stores that offer fresh fruit and
vegetables as compared to the availability of fast food and
convenience stores in those counties.
   (h) Studies have shown that the display and advertisement of
unhealthy products in stores directly impacts consumer patterns. When
stores stock and promote healthy foods, consumers buy those foods
more often.
   (i) The overall layout of a store affects what consumers buy, and
consumers are influenced not only by what is available and
affordable, but also by how products are organized and advertised
inside the store. When nuts and granola bars, rather than candy and
chips, are stocked in check-out lanes, consumers are much less likely
to make an unhealthy impulse purchase. Marketing displays in a store
also impact consumer choices.
   (j) The creation of a voluntary grocery store certification
program will build a partnership between health experts, grocers, and
community members to encourage healthier lifestyles for all
Californians.
  SEC. 2.  It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
to create the California Healthy Choices Program, a voluntary grocery
store certification program for California grocery stores, to be
implemented by the Department of Food and Agriculture.