BILL ANALYSIS �
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Date of Hearing: July 3, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
William W. Monning, Chair
ACR 161 (Dickinson) - As Introduced: June 13, 2012
SUBJECT : Food literacy awareness month.
SUMMARY : Declares the month of September of each year as food
literacy awareness month and encourages specified state agencies
to work together with local communities to engage in various
activities related to food choices and education. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Makes a number of findings and declarations related to
understanding the impact of food choices on one's health, the
environment, and the community.
2)Proclaims the month of September of each year as food literacy
awareness month in California.
3)Encourages the State Department of Health Care Services
(DHCS), the State Department of Public Health (DPH), and the
State Department of Education to work together with local
communities to do all of the following:
a) Increase awareness about the broad impacts our food
choices have on our health, environment, and communities;
b) Educate our children about eating food that's healthy
for them and for the planet;
c) Encourage consumption of more unprocessed foods through
local, California-grown whole foods and improve access to
local famers' markets, farm stands, and gardens;
d) Teach families how to cook healthy, budget-friendly
meals and snacks;
e) Support change in our public food choices that promote
health as much as convenience; and,
f) Improve the environmental effects of our food system by
encouraging composting, organics, waste reduction, and
sustainability.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Organic Program within the California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), responsible for
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enforcing federal and state laws governing standards under
which fresh agricultural products or foods may be labeled or
sold as organic.
2)Charges DPH with enforcing federal and state laws pertaining
to processed products marketed as organic.
3)Authorizes the establishment of a statewide Women, Infants,
and Children program, administered by DPH, to provide
nutritional food supplements and counseling to low-income
pregnant women, low-income postpartum and lactating women, and
low-income infants and children under five years of age, who
have been determined to be at nutritional risk.
FISCAL EFFECT : This resolution has not yet been analyzed by a
fiscal committee.
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS RESOLUTION . According to the author, 38% of
children in California are overweight and only 14% of
Americans eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
The author states that our current food system is taking a
toll on our health, the environment, our kids, and our
communities. The author believes that this resolution is
needed to empower Californians to become food literate in
order to enable them to make more informed choices and help
build a sustainable food system and healthier communities
throughout the state.
2)OBESITY EPIDEMIC . According to the California HealthCare
Foundation 2006 report, Chronic Disease in California: Facts
and Figures, nearly half of all Americans live with a chronic
medical condition, and that number is expected to rise by 25%
in the next two decades as the baby boomers age. The report
states, in California, 14 million people (38%) live with at
least one chronic condition. More than half of this group has
multiple chronic conditions, further affecting their quality
of life and increasing health care costs.
It's no secret that obesity is a problem in America. According
to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese and
approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents (17%) ages
two to 19 years are now obese. Obesity-related conditions
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include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain
types of cancer, all among the leading causes of death for
Americans. Many obese children are now diagnosed with health
problems previously considered to be "adult" illnesses, such
as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Obesity can
affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood and energy
levels. It can also cause complications for other unrelated
health conditions that may require longer hospital stays,
longer recovery times, and increase risk to patients
experiencing co-morbidities.
3)FOOD DESERTS . Congress requested in the Food Conservation and
Energy Act of 2008, that the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) study food deserts and issue their findings. According
to their report "Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food:
Measuring and Understanding their Consequences (USDA report),"
a food desert is a food environment unsupportive of health; it
is defined by barriers which restrict access to healthy foods
such as, lack of access to food retailers, availability of
nutritious foods, or affordability of foods.
Research indicates that land-use policies that facilitate
development of predominately wealthy and suburban
neighborhoods have altered the distribution of food stores.
In the interest of profitability, larger supermarkets have
followed this trend and are most prevalent in suburban
neighborhoods. Food supply within inner-cities and some rural
areas includes less variety and denying some residents the
benefits of healthy foods at affordable prices. Remaining
food retailers in these areas are gas stations, convenience
stores, and liquor stores. A diet based on foods from these
locations consists primarily of processed foods high in
calories, sugars, salt, fat, and artificial ingredients.
Health disparities related to food access and consumption are
associated with residential segregation, low incomes, and
neighborhood deprivation.
The main factor used to classify a community as a food desert is
distance from nutritional food retailers. There is no
standard for "inadequate" access or "adequate" access to
foods. Access to food is calculated by distance of consumer
residence to nearest supermarket or grocery store. Residents
of food desert areas have no alternative but to utilize
private cars, travel several miles on foot, or use public
transit to gain access to healthy food. Consumers without
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cars are dependent on food sources in their closest proximity.
The problem increases in rural food desert areas, where
closing the distance to nutritional food access can be
challenging on foot.
4)PRIOR LEGISLATION .
a) AB 581 (John A. P�rez), Chapter 505, Statutes of 2011,
establishes the California Healthy Food Financing
Initiative and Fund for the purpose of expanding access to
healthy foods in underserved communities and requires, by
July 1, 2012, specified agencies to prepare recommended
actions to be taken to promote food access within
California.
b) AB 152 (Fuentes), Chapter 503, Statutes of 2011, among
other things, provides a tax credit to California growers
for the costs of fresh fruits or vegetables donated to
California food banks and requires DPH to apply for federal
funds available for promoting healthy eating and preventing
obesity.
c) AB 727 (Mitchell) of 2011 would have required the
Department of General Services to develop nutritional
standards governing the foods purchased for all state
departments, agencies, and state-run institutions in
accordance with federal dietary guidelines and to develop
prescribed guidelines for sustainable purchasing practices
and procedures that encourage purchasing from local
vendors, farms, and manufacturers when feasible. AB 727
died on the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.
5)SUPPORT . The sponsor of this resolution, the California Food
Literacy Center, writes in support that this resolution will
be a useful tool in promoting community food education and
help to activate partners around the state to work with
children and their families to teach and inspire food
literacy. The American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO adds that this resolution will
encourage food choices that are good for people and the
planet, promote parental involvement, and motivate communities
across California to become healthier.
6)OPPOSITION . Numerous agriculture and business groups take
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issue with what they contend are inaccurate findings in this
resolution, including that food grown and consumed locally has
a higher nutrient value than food transported long distances
and that organic produce contains higher levels of vitamins
and nutrients than those sprayed with pesticides. They object
to this resolution favoring one growing process over another
and argue that this measure should reflect a more balanced
approach that promotes the diversity of the state's
agricultural industry and focuses on the health benefits of
consuming all California Grown products.
7)AUTHOR'S AMENDMENT . Given that it is more appropriate for the
CDFA, rather than DHCS, to participate in helping the state
work with local jurisdictions to achieve the objectives of
this resolution, the author has agreed to accept an amendment
deleting DHCS and adding the CDFA to this resolution instead.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Food Literacy Center (sponsor)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO
Opposition
Agricultural Council of California
American Pistachio Growers
California Association of Pest Control Advisors
California Association of Wheat Growers
California Bean Shippers Association
California Chamber of Commerce
California Citrus Mutual
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Grain & Feed Association
California Grape & Tree Fruit League
California Grocers Association
California Seed Association
California State Floral Association
California Tomato Growers Association
California Warehouse Association
Nisei Farmers League
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Pacific Coast Renders Association
Pacific Egg & Poultry Association
Western Agricultural Processors Association
Western Growers Association
Analysis Prepared by : Cassie Royce / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097