BILL NUMBER: ACR 161	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 15, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 8, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 6, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Dickinson

                        JUNE 13, 2012

   Relative to food literacy awareness month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 161, as amended, Dickinson. Food literacy awareness month.
   This measure would proclaim the month of September of each year as
food literacy awareness month.
   Fiscal committee:  yes   no  .



   WHEREAS, "Food literacy" is defined as the understanding of the
impact of your food choices on your health, the environment, and our
community; and
   WHEREAS, Our food choices affect our health. In California, 38
percent of children are overweight. If the problem of obesity is not
reversed, poor diet and physical inactivity will likely overtake
tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in America; and
   WHEREAS, Only 25 percent of United States adults eat the
recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; and
   WHEREAS, Residents living in low-income and underserved rural and
urban neighborhoods without access to healthy foods, known as "food
deserts," have more health problems and higher mortality rates than
residents of areas with a higher proportion of grocery stores.
Outcomes worsen when the food desert has high concentrations of
nearby fast food alternatives; and
   WHEREAS, People who shop at farmers' markets obtain farm-grown
products that make a shorter farm-to-table trip, purchase directly
from a family farm, obtain cultural and specialty fruits and
vegetables that are often not easily available elsewhere, and
strengthen the local economy while decreasing the demand on
transportation from outlying areas; and
   WHEREAS, Our food choices affect the environment: when food items
are sold in a more direct way, such as at farmers' markets, food
items tend to be relatively less processed, which can result in
significant energy savings; and
   WHEREAS, Our food choices affect our community: as they develop,
California food systems create jobs and raise incomes in the areas
they serve; and
   WHEREAS, For more than 60 consecutive years, California has been
the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than
400 crops and livestock products and accounting for approximately 50
percent of the nation's supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and
   WHEREAS, Education is needed to inspire change. A broad approach
to nutritional education is vital to ensure that California
agriculture continues to flourish; and
   WHEREAS, When individuals are taught how to cook with fresh fruits
and vegetables, they are 85 percent more likely to incorporate
 them   fruits and vegetables  into their
diet. People who don't cook spend a larger percentage of their budget
on food than those who do; and
   WHEREAS, The objective of food literacy awareness month will be to
promote food education, inspire food choices that are good for
people and good for the planet, encourage parental involvement, and
motivate communitywide support; now, therefore be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month
of September of each year as food literacy awareness month in
California; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.