Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources, to encourage the purchase and consumption of California fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by nutrition benefit clients, as defined. The bill would provide that the program shall only provide grants upon the deposit of sufficient funds, as specified, into the account. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to specified regulations and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources, to encourage the purchase and consumption of California fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by nutrition benefit clients, as defined. The bill would provide that the program shall only provide grants upon the deposit of sufficient funds, as specified, into the account. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to specified regulations and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources, to encourage the purchase and consumption of California fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by nutrition benefit clients, as defined. The bill would provide that the program shall only become operative provide grants upon the deposit of sufficient funds, as specified, into the account. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to specified regulations and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources, to encourage the purchase and consumption of California fresh fuitsfruits, nuts, and vegetables by nutrition benefit clients, as defined. The bill would provide that the program shall only become operative upon the deposit of sufficient funds into the account and an appropriation in the annual Budget Act that authorizes the use of those funds for the program. account. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to specified regulations and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access. Existing law creates the Farm to Fork Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund that would consist of money made available from federal, state, industry, and other sources, and would continuously appropriate the money deposited in the account without regard to fiscal years to carry out the purposes of the Office of Farm to Fork.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Farm to Fork Account Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources to provide grants under the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program and to administer the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program. sources, to encourage the purchase and consumption of California fresh fuits, nuts, and vegetables by nutrition benefit clients, as defined. The bill would provide that the program shall only become operative upon the deposit of sufficient funds into the account and an appropriation in the annual Budget Act that authorizes the use of those funds for the program. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act specified regulations and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. Existing law requires the office to, among other things, identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access. Existing law creates the Farm to Fork Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund that would consist of money made available from federal, state, industry, and other sources, and would continuously appropriate the money deposited in the account without regard to fiscal years to carry out the purposes of the Office of Farm to Fork.

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork, and would create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account in the Farm to Fork Account to collect matching funds received from a specified federal grant program and funds from other public and private sources to provide grants under the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program and to administer the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program. The bill would require that moneys in the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account be awarded in the form of grants to qualified entities, as defined, for consumer incentive programs, as defined, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act and in accordance with certain priorities. The bill would require the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants, as specified.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 1321

Author:(Ting)

As Amended Ver:August 31, 2015

Majority vote

Original Committee Reference: AGRI.

SUMMARY: Establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork (OF2F), creates a NIMG account and requires OF2F to establish minimum standards, funding schedules and grant procedures for the NIMG program. This bill directs the OF2F to solicit grant proposals, score, and award grant funds as specified, and establish standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This bill also establishes standards for prioritizing grants within the state.

The Senate amendments:

1. Change the funding structure of the NIMG program by removing the requirement for appropriations in the annual Budget Act.

2. Clarify that state grants are only to be administered upon receipt of sufficient federal funds.

3. Make technical changes.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the food stamp program, administered by USDA, which imposes specified rules on specified program participants and limits benefits based on those rules.

2. Establishes state grants for programs that supplement nutrition benefits that are spent on products at farmers' markets, based upon specified criteria.

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, CDFA indicates that the bill could ultimately result in annual General Fund costs potentially reaching the low millions of dollars (special fund), some of which could be offset by federal funds. However, the department would not be authorized to operate the program if sufficient funds have not been appropriated.

COMMENTS: The California Market Match (MM) program was launched in 2009 to encourage low-income families receiving benefits through SNAP to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. The program "matches" or doubles the amount of benefits these families can spend and has expanded operations to over 150 farmers' markets across California and increased the spending power of 37,000 families.

According to the author, strong demand for MM often outstrips available funding for the program. The 2014 federal Farm Bill included $100 million in grant funding for programs such as MM that incentivize healthier eating amongst SNAP recipients. In order to best position local programs to receive these federal grants, this bill creates a state NIMG program to apply for federal funds and award them to local MM programs with a proven record of success. Establishing a state framework to oversee funding of MM programs would leverage state resources to streamline local program administration, and expand MM programs across a more equitable cross-section of communities that lack access to fresh produce.

One of the co-sponsors of this bill, Roots of Change, explained how they used $1.9 million in CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant money, and nearly $300,000 in philanthropic funds from 2009 to 2013, to create the California MM pilot program. The MM pilot program has expanded market opportunities for specialty crop farmers. Supporters state that community-based partners operated in 23 counties to implement MM programs in 150 markets in 2014. Currently, the incentive match funds used to increase purchasing power are derived from philanthropic sources only and are therefore limited in scope. Supporters state the goal of this bill is to assist the state in leveraging federal dollars to increase specialty crop sales among low-income Californians.

The author states that California is uniquely positioned to benefit from greater proliferation of programs such as MM. California grows over 400 commodities and produces nearly half of the United States' grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. There are approximately 700 certified Farmers' Markets and 2,200 certified producers in California. Furthermore, the author stresses that California has a persistent poverty problem to solve. 24% of Californians live in poverty and is ranked 50th in the rate of participation in SNAP. Scaling up MM programs would create an incentive for more families to utilize their SNAP benefits and ensure more Californians can afford to eat what is grown locally.

There is no opposition on file.

This bill is substantially similar to the version passed by the Assembly.

Analysis Prepared by: Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084 FN: 0001704

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 1321

Author: Ting (D), et al.

Amended: 8/31/15 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE: 4-1, 7/7/15

AYES: Galgiani, Cannella, Pan, Wolk

NOES: Berryhill

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 8/27/15

AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza

NOES: Bates, Nielsen

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 61-16, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program

SOURCE: Ecology Center

Latino Coalition for a Healthy California

Public Health Institute

Roots of Change

DIGEST: This bill establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the Office of Farm to Fork in 2014 within CDFA to increase food access and the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in California (Food and Agricultural Code § 49000 et seq.).

2. Establishes the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative (CHFFI) in 2011 for the purpose of promoting healthy food access to underserved communities. The CHFFI Council is required to develop program parameters and financing options to accomplish this goal (Health and Safety Code §104660 et seq.).

3. Authorizes CDFA to regulate certified farmers’ markets (CFM) and other forms of direct marketing to ensure product quality and to prevent fraud, deception, or misrepresentation in the marketplace. Currently, there are nearly 800 CFMs in California and 3,350 certified farmers selling directly to consumers (Food and Agricultural Code §47000 et seq.).

4. Authorizes the State Department of Social Services to administer the CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly Food Stamp), to provide food assistance for eligible low-income Californians.

This bill:

1. States findings and declarations related to market match programs throughout California, the impact on local agricultural economies, and the availability of federal funds provided by the Farm Bill to help states create grant programs that incentivize healthier eating by food assistance recipients.

2. Establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program (Grant Program) in the Office of Farm to Fork to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.

3. Defines “nutrition benefit client” to mean a person who receives services or payments through WIC (Women, Infants and Children), CalWORKS (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids), CalFresh, WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Act, Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, or Supplemental Security Income.

4. Defines “qualified entity” to mean either (a) a CFM, association of certified producers, or a nonprofit organization representing certified producers and authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accept federal SNAP benefits; or (b) a small business that sells California grown fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables that is authorized to accept nutrition benefits.

5. Creates the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds from the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program and other public and private sources.

6. Requires that the grant program only provide grants upon the deposit of sufficient funds, as specified, into its grant account.

7. Requires the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with USDA and other stakeholders, including the State Department of Public Health, State Department of Social Services, organizations with expertise in nutrition benefit programs, qualified small business owners, and CFM operators.

8. Limits the allocation of Grant Program funds for qualified small business consumer incentive programs to one-third of the fund.

9. Requires CDFA to give grant funding priority to qualified entities based on:

1. The service area and lack of consumer incentive programs.

2. Community demographics such as the number of people who qualify for food assistance, the prevalence of diet-related illnesses, and access to fresh produce.

3. Demonstrated efficiency in administering a consumer incentive program.

Background

In a 2012 CDFA report to the legislature titled “Improving Food Access in California,” CDFA provided recommendations that included improving the distribution of fresh produce, expanding retail options for healthy food, helping low-income consumers purchase food, and supporting nutritious school meals. According to this report, the state can use existing infrastructure and relationships with farmers and food distributors to increase food access, and the state can coordinate existing state and federal resources to target them toward use in underserved communities. (http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/public_affairs/pdf/
ImprovingFoodAccessInCalifornia.pdf)

The federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) was signed into law on February 7, 2014, and provides $100 million over five years for a new “Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive” grant program, administered by USDA, to support organizations offering bonus incentives to SNAP participants to purchase fruits and vegetables. The program is not limited to locally grown produce but does give preference to projects that involve direct marketing from farmers to consumers, have a demonstrated track record of implementing successful nutrition incentive programs, provide local produce, and are located in underserved communities.

Comments

Market Match Pilot Program. According to one of this bill’s co-sponsors, Roots of Change, they received four CDFA Specialty Crop Block grants from 2009-2013 totaling $1.9 million to fund the California Market Match Consortium’s Market Match Pilot Program. This program’s goal was to increase access to fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables for consumers using food assistance programs and to increase the promotion and marketing of specialty crops at CFMs, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture farms. This program operated in 23 counties at 150 markets in 2014 and has generated a six-fold return on investment in farmers’ market sales.

Is legislation needed? The federal government does not require states to enact legislation in order to be eligible to receive funds from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program. However, the co-sponsors of this bill argue that with this legislation, California is better positioned to secure available federal matching funds.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, CDFA indicates that this bill could ultimately result in annual General Fund costs potentially reaching the low millions of dollars (special fund), some of which could be offset by federal funds. However, CDFA would not be authorized to operate the program if sufficient funds have not been appropriated.

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/28/15)

Ecology Center (co-source)

Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (co-source)

Public Health Institute (co-source)

Roots of Change (co-source)

Agricultural Commissioner of the City and County of San Francisco

Agricultural Institute of Marin

Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association

AltaMed Health Services Corporation

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Ashland Cherryland Food Policy Council

Berkeley Food Institute

Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach

California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets

California Association of Food Banks

California Black Health Network

California Center for Public Health Advocacy

California Certified Organic Farmers

California Commission on Aging

California Convergence

California Equity Leaders Network

California Farm Bureau Federation

California Food Policy Advocates

California Food Policy Council

California Hunger Action Coalition

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

California Partnership

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation

California School Employees Association, AFL-CIO

California Women for Agriculture

Center for Food Safety

City of Maywood

City of Santa Monica

City of Santa Monica’s Farmers Market Program

Coastside Farmers’ Markets

Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Community Food and Justice Coalition

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors

Courage Campaign

CUESA

Cultiva la Salud

EnrichLA

Farm Fatales

The Farmers Guild

Feeding America San Diego

First 5 LA

Food Chain Workers Alliance

Food for People, Inc., the Food Bank for Humboldt County

Hunger Action Los Angeles

Hunger Advocacy Network

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles

Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee

Latino Health Alliance

Long Beach Alliance for Food and Fitness

Long Beach Time Exchange

Los Angeles Community Action Network

Los Angeles Food Policy Council

Madera County Agricultural Commissioner

Natural Resources Defense Council

North Coast Growers’ Association

Nutrition and Fitness Collaborative of the Central Coast

ONEgeneration

Orange County Food Access Coalition

Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association

Plumas-Sierra Community Food Council

PolicyLink

Prevention Institute

Project Angel Food

Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc.

San Diego Food System Alliance

San Diego Hunger Coalition

San Francisco Food Security Task Force

San Francisco Unified School District

San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance

Santa Barbara Food Alliance

Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner

Sebastopol Farmers Market

SF-Marin Food Bank

Slow Food California

Social Justice Learning Institute

Sprouts of Promise

SPUR

St. Anthony Foundation

Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments

Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles

Sustainable Economics Law Center

Thai Community Development Center

UC San Diego, Department of Pediatrics Center for Community Health

UFCW Western States Council

United Way of Kern County

Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College

Volunteers of East Los Angeles

Wellington Square Certified Farmers Market

Western Center on Law and Poverty

Western Growers Association

Westside Food Bank

Women Organizing Resources, Knowledge and Services

The Yolo County Ag & Food Alliance

Yolo County Board of Supervisors

Youth Policy Institute

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/28/15)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, “AB 1321 builds off the success of California Market Match, a five-year-old nutrition incentive program that has operated at over 140 farmers’ markets across the state. The program works by ‘matching’ or doubling the amount of nutrition benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that families can spend at farmers’ markets in order to incentivize them to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.

“In order to best position local programs to receive these [Farm Bill nutrition incentive] federal grants, AB 1321 creates a state Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program to apply for federal funds and award them to local Market Match programs with a proven record of success in areas with high prevalence of diabetes and obesity. Establishing a state framework to oversee funding of Market Match programs would leverage state resources to streamline local program administration, and expand Market Match programs across a more equitable cross-section of communities to ensure that more Californians can enjoy the unparalleled bounty of our state’s agriculture. By increasing access to healthy food, we can alleviate poverty and food insecurity and stimulate economic growth in our communities.”

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 61-16, 6/3/15

AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Olsen, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Williams, Wood, Atkins

NOES: Travis Allen, Bigelow, Brough, Beth Gaines, Harper, Jones, Kim, Mathis, Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Chang, Hadley, Thurmond

Prepared by: Anne Megaro / AGRI. / (916) 651-1508

8/31/15 12:47:49

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair

2015 - 2016 Regular Session

AB 1321 (Ting) - Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program.

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on August 27, 2015

Bill Summary:

AB 1321 would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It also would create the NIMG account in the state treasury.

Fiscal Impact:

CDFA indicates that the bill could ultimately result in annual General Fund costs potentially reaching the low millions of dollars (special fund), some of which could be offset by federal funds. However, the department would not be authorized to operate the program if sufficient funds have not been appropriated.

Author Amendments:

Clarify that state grants are only to be administered upon receipt of sufficient federal funds.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair

2015 - 2016 Regular Session

AB 1321 (Ting) - Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program

This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Bill Summary:

AB 1321 would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It also would create the NIMG account in the state treasury.

Fiscal Impact:

CDFA indicates that the bill could ultimately result in annual General Fund costs potentially reaching the low millions of dollars (special fund), some of which could be offset by federal funds. However, the department would not be authorized to operate the program if sufficient funds have not been appropriated.

Background:

The Office of Farm to Fork (OFF) was established in 2014 within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to increase food access and the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in California.

CDFA is responsible for regulating certified farmers’ markets (CFM) and other forms of direct marketing to ensure product quality and to prevent fraud, deception, or misrepresentation in the marketplace. Currently, there are nearly 800 CFMs in California and 3,350 certified farmers selling directly to consumers.

The Department of Social Services administers the CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly Food Stamp), to provide food assistance for eligible low-income Californians.

Proposed Law:

This bill would, among other things, do the following:

• Establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program (Grant Program) in the Office of Farm to Fork to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.

• Create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds from the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Grant Program and other public and private sources.

• Require that sufficient funds be deposited into the grant account before the Grant Program becomes operative.

• Require OFF to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with USDA and other stakeholders, including the State Department of Public Health, State Department of Social Services, organizations with expertise in nutrition benefit programs, qualified small business owners, and certified farmers’ market operators.

• Limit the allocation of Grant Program funds for qualified small business consumer incentive programs to one-third of the fund.

• Require CDFA to give grant funding priority to qualified entities based on:

  • The service area and lack of consumer incentive programs.

  • Community demographics such as the number of people who qualify for food assistance, the prevalence of diet-related illnesses, and access to fresh produce.

  • Demonstrated efficiency in administering a consumer incentive program.

Related Legislation:

AB 2413 (Perez, Chapter 583, Statutes of 2014) created the Office of Farm to Fork within CDFA to, among other things, promote food access and increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools within California.

Staff Comments:

The NIMG program would provide a 100 percent match of the value of qualifying CalFresh purchases made at certified farmers markets or certain other stores. As an example, a family that spends $20 in CalFresh benefits at a participating farmers market would get another $20 from the NIMG program to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

As noted above, the NIMG account created by the bill could receive moneys from public and/or private sources. The bill would preclude CDFA from operating the program until such time that the account contains “sufficient funds.” However, this term is not defined in the bill. But until such time, the bill would have no fiscal impact to CDFA.

Additionally, the bill provides no funding to implement the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program. Implementation of the program is contingent upon funds being provided by the state or outside sources. Should funds be available for the program there will be a fiscal impact to CDFA to establish the program, apply for matching grants, solicit proposals, grant funds, and oversee compliance among grant recipients. The specific costs to CDFA would depend on the eventual funding and grant applications.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

Senator Cathleen Galgiani, Chair

2015 - 2016 Regular

Bill No: AB 1321 Hearing Date: 7/7/15

Subject: Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program.

SUMMARY

:

This bill would establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program in the Office of Farm to Fork within the California Department of Food and Agriculture to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.

BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW

:

The Office of Farm to Fork was established in 2014 within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to increase food access and the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in California (Food and Agricultural Code § 49000 et seq.).

The California Healthy Food Financing Initiative (CHFFI) was established in 2011 for the purpose of promoting healthy food access to underserved communities. The CHFFI Council is required to develop program parameters and financing options to accomplish this goal (Health and Safety Code §104660 et seq.).

CDFA is responsible for regulating certified farmers’ markets (CFM) and other forms of direct marketing to ensure product quality and to prevent fraud, deception, or misrepresentation in the marketplace. Currently, there are nearly 800 CFMs in California and 3,350 certified farmers selling directly to consumers (Food and Agricultural Code §47000 et seq.).

In a 2012 CDFA report to the legislature titled “Improving Food Access in California,” CDFA provided recommendations that included improving the distribution of fresh produce, expanding retail options for healthy food, helping low-income consumers purchase food, and supporting nutritious school meals. According to this report, the state can use existing infrastructure and relationships with farmers and food distributors to increase food access, and the state can coordinate existing state and federal resources to target them toward use in underserved communities. (http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/public_affairs/pdf/ImprovingFoodAccessInCalifornia.pdf)

The state Department of Social Services administers the CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly Food Stamp), to provide food assistance for eligible low-income Californians.

The federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) was signed into law on February 7, 2014, and provides $100 million over five years for a new “Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive” grant program, administered by USDA, to support organizations offering bonus incentives to SNAP participants to purchase fruits and vegetables. The program is not limited to locally grown produce but does give preference to projects that involve direct marketing from farmers to consumers, have a demonstrated track record of implementing successful nutrition incentive programs, provide local produce, and are located in underserved communities.

PROPOSED LAW

:

This bill:

1. States findings and declarations related to market match programs throughout California, the impact on local agricultural economies, and the availability of federal funds provided by the Farm Bill to help states create grant programs that incentivize healthier eating by food assistance recipients.

2. Establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program (Grant Program) in the Office of Farm to Fork to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.

3. Defines “nutrition benefit client” to mean a person who receives services or payments through WIC, CalWORKS, CalFresh, WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Act, Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, or Supplemental Security Income.

4. Defines “qualified entity” to mean either 1) a certified farmers’ market, association of certified producers, or a nonprofit organization representing certified producers and authorized by USDA to accept federal SNAP benefits; or 2) a small business that sells California grown fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables that is authorized to accept nutrition benefits.

5. Creates the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect matching funds from the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Grant Program and other public and private sources.

6. Requires that sufficient funds be deposited into the grant account before the Grant Program becomes operative.

7. Requires the Office of Farm to Fork to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with USDA and other stakeholders, including the State Department of Public Health, State Department of Social Services, organizations with expertise in nutrition benefit programs, qualified small business owners, and certified farmers’ market operators.

8. Limits the allocation of Grant Program funds for qualified small business consumer incentive programs to one-third of the fund.

9. Requires CDFA to give grant funding priority to qualified entities based on:

1. The service area and lack of consumer incentive programs.

2. Community demographics such as the number of people who qualify for food assistance, the prevalence of diet-related illnesses, and access to fresh produce.

3. Demonstrated efficiency in administering a consumer incentive program.

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:

According to the author, “AB 1321 builds off the success of California Market Match, a five-year-old nutrition incentive program that has operated at over 140 farmers’ markets across the state. The program works by “matching” or doubling the amount of nutrition benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that families can spend at farmers’ markets in order to incentivize them to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.

In order to best position local programs to receive these [Farm Bill nutrition incentive] federal grants, AB 1321 creates a state Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program to apply for federal funds and award them to local Market Match programs with a proven record of success in areas with high prevalence of diabetes and obesity. Establishing a state framework to oversee funding of Market Match programs would leverage state resources to streamline local program administration, and expand Market Match programs across a more equitable cross-section of communities to ensure that more Californians can enjoy the unparalleled bounty of our state’s agriculture. By increasing access to healthy food, we can alleviate poverty and food insecurity and stimulate economic growth in our communities.”

COMMENTS

:

Market Match Pilot Program. According to one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Roots of Change, they received four CDFA Specialty Crop Block grants from 2009-2013 totaling $1.9 million to fund the California Market Match Consortium’s Market Match Pilot Program. This program’s goal was to increase access to fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables for consumers using food assistance programs and to increase the promotion and marketing of specialty crops at certified farmers’ markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture farms. This program operated in 23 counties at 150 markets in 2014 and has generated a six-fold return on investment in farmers’ market sales.

Is legislation needed? The federal government does not require states to enact legislation in order to be eligible to receive funds from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program. However, the co-sponsors of this bill argue that with this legislation, California is better positioned to secure available federal matching funds.

RELATED LEGISLATION

:

AB 2413 (Perez), Chapter 583, Statutes of 2014. Creates the Office of Farm to Fork within CDFA to, among other things, promote food access and increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools within California.

AB 2385 (Ting) of 2014. Would have created the Market Match Nutrition Incentive Program within the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Held in Assembly Appropriations.

AB 581 (Pérez), Chapter 505, Statutes of 2011. Creates the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative for the purpose of promoting healthy food access to underserved communities.

PRIOR ACTIONS

:

SUPPORT

:

Ecology Center (Co-Sponsor)

Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (Co-sponsor)

Public Health Institute (Co-Sponsor)

Roots of Change (Co-Sponsor)

Agricultural Commissioner of the City and County of San Francisco

Agricultural Institute of Marin

Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association

AltaMed Health Services Corporation

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Ashland Cherryland Food Policy Council

Berkeley Food Institute

Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach

California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets

California Association of Food Banks

California Black Health Network

California Center for Public Health Advocacy

California Certified Organic Farmers

California Commission on Aging

California Convergence

California Equity Leaders Network

California Farm Bureau Federation

California Food Policy Advocates

California Food Policy Council

California Hunger Action Coalition

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

California Partnership

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation

California School Employees Association, AFL-CIO

California Women for Agriculture

Center for Food Safety

City of Maywood

City of Santa Monica

Coastside Farmers’ Markets

Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Community Food and Justice Coalition

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors

Courage Campaign

CUESA

Cultiva la Salud

EnrichLA

Farm Fatales

The Farmers Guild

Feeding America San Diego

First 5 LA

Food Chain Workers Alliance

Food for People, Inc., the Food Bank for Humboldt County

Hunger Action Los Angeles

Hunger Advocacy Network

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles

Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee

Latino Health Alliance

Long Beach Alliance for Food and Fitness

Long Beach Time Exchange

Los Angeles Community Action Network

Los Angeles Food Policy Council

Madera County Agricultural Commissioner

Natural Resources Defense Council

North Coast Growers’ Association

Nutrition and Fitness Collaborative of the Central Coast

Orange County Food Access Coalition

Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association

Plumas-Sierra Community Food Council

PolicyLink

Prevention Institute

Project Angel Food

Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc.

San Diego Food System Alliance

San Diego Hunger Coalition

San Francisco Food Security Task Force

San Francisco Unified School District

San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance

Santa Barbara Food Alliance

Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner

Sebastopol Farmers Market

SF-Marin Food Bank

Slow Food California

Social Justice Learning Institute

Sprouts of Promise

SPUR

St. Anthony Foundation

Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments

Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles

Sustainable Economics Law Center

Thai Community Development Center

UC San Diego, Department of Pediatrics Center for Community Health

UFCW Western States Council

United Way of Kern County

Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College

Volunteers of East Los Angeles

Wellington Square Certified Farmers Market

Western Center on Law and Poverty

Western Growers Association

Women Organizing Resources, Knowledge and Services

The Yolo County Ag & Food Alliance

Yolo County Board of Supervisors

Youth Policy Institute

One individual

OPPOSITION

:

None received

-- END --

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 1321

Author:(Ting)

As Amended Ver:June 1, 2015

Majority vote

SUMMARY: Establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork (OF2F), creates a NIMG account and requires OF2F to establish minimum standards, funding schedules and grant procedures for the NIMG program. This bill directs the OF2F to solicit grant proposals, score, and award grant funds as specified, and establish standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This bill also establishes standards for prioritizing grants within the state.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes OF2F within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), to work with various entities involved in promoting food access, and to increase the amount of agricultural products available to schools and underserved communities in the state.

2. Requires OF2F to identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

3. Creates the Farm to Fork Account in the CDFA Fund consisting of money made available from federal, state, industry, and other sources, and would continuously appropriate the money deposited in the account to carry out the purposes of OF2F.

EXISTING FEDERAL LAW:

1. Establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the food stamp program, administered by USDA, which imposes specified rules on specified program participants and limits benefits based on those rules.

2. Establishes state grants for programs that supplement nutrition benefits that are spent on products at farmers' markets, based upon specified criteria.

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill will likely have significant General Fund (GF) costs to CDFA to establish the program, apply for matching grants, solicit proposals, grant funds, and oversee compliance among grant recipients, though the actual amount will depend on the eventual funding and grant applications.

Furthermore, this bill has likely, though unknown, initial start-up GF costs, perhaps as high as $2.5 million, to fund grants and apply for the federal match, some or all of which may be repaid with matching funds from grant recipients. Initial funding could be by direct appropriation or included in the budget; however, there is no source of proposed funding currently in the bill.

COMMENTS: The California Market Match (MM) program was launched in 2009 to encourage low-income families receiving benefits through SNAP to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. The program "matches" or doubles the amount of benefits these families can spend and has expanded operations to over 150 farmers' markets across California and increased the spending power of 37,000 families.

According to the author, strong demand for MM often outstrips available funding for the program. The 2014 federal Farm Bill included $100 million in grant funding for programs such as Market Match that incentivize healthier eating amongst SNAP recipients. In order to best position local programs to receive these federal grants, this bill creates a state NIMG Program to apply for federal funds and award them to local MM programs with a proven record of success. Establishing a state framework to oversee funding of MM programs would leverage state resources to streamline local program administration, and expand MM programs across a more equitable cross-section of communities that lack access to fresh produce.

One of the co-sponsors of this bill, Roots of Change, explained how they used $1.9 million in CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant money, and nearly $300,000 in philanthropic funds from 2009 to 2013, to create the California MM pilot program. The MM pilot program has expanded market opportunities for specialty crop farmers. Supporters state that community-based partners operated in 23 counties to implement MM programs in 150 markets in 2014. Currently, the incentive match funds used to increase purchasing power are derived from philanthropic sources only and are therefore limited in scope. Supporters state the goal of this bill is to assist the state in leveraging federal dollars to increase specialty crop sales among low-income Californians.

The author states that California is uniquely positioned to benefit from greater proliferation of programs such as MM. California grows over 400 commodities and produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. There are approximately 700 certified Farmers' Markets and 2,200 certified producers in California. Furthermore, the author stresses that California has a persistent poverty problem to solve. Twenty-four percent of Californians live in poverty and is ranked 50th in the rate of participation in SNAP. Scaling up MM programs would create an incentive for more families to utilize their SNAP benefits and ensure more Californians can afford to eat what is grown locally

Analysis Prepared by: Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084 FN: 0000588

Date of Hearing: May 20, 2015

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Jimmy Gomez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1321

Author:(Ting) – As Introduced Ver:February 27, 2015

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill creates the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program (NIMG) in the Office of Farm to Fork (F2F) within the Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA) to encourage the purchase and consumption of fresh California fruits, nuts, and vegetables by directly linking producers with certain public benefit recipients.

The bill creates the NIMG account, allowing F2F to collect matching funds from the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Grant Program and other public and private sources, and requires F2F to establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and grant procedures, in consultation with the US Department of Agriculture.

The bill requires F2F to distribute funds, subject to appropriation in the budget, as grants to farmers' markets and other small businesses that sell fresh California fruits, nuts, and vegetables for use in market matching programs that double the purchasing power of persons on public benefits.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1) Likely significant GF costs to DFA to establish the program, apply for matching grants, solicit proposals, grant funds, and oversee compliance among grant recipients, though the actual amount will depend on the eventual funding and grant applications.

2) Likely, though unknown, initial start-up GF costs, perhaps as high as $5 million, to fund grants and apply for the federal match, some or all of which may be repaid with matching funds from grant recipients. Initial funding could be by direct appropriation or included in the budget, however there is no source of proposed funding currently in the bill.

COMMENTS:

1) Purpose. According to the author, the 2014 federal Farm Bill included $100 million in grant funding for programs such as NIMG that incentivize healthier eating for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, the federal funding source for CalFresh) recipients. The author believes current demand for market match programs exceeds available funding, and grants are very competitive. In order to better position local programs to receive federal grants, this bill creates a state program to apply for federal grants and award those grants to local market match programs. The author believes a state framework to oversee funding of market match programs will leverage state resources and streamline local program administration, expanding market match programs over a more equitable distribution of communities.

The author contends California is uniquely positioned to benefit from programs like market match, as it produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts, and vegetables and has over 700 certified farmers' markets statewide. Yet 24% of Californians live in poverty and the state ranks 50th in SNAP participation rate. The author claims scaling up market match programs would incentivize more families to use their SNAP benefits, ensuring more Californians eat what is grown in California.

2) Recipients and Benefit. Benefit recipients eligible to receive additional funds include recipients under CalFresh, the federal Women, Infants & Children program (WIC), the federal Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, and Supplemental Security Income or State Supplementary Payment recipients. Market match programs are designed to double the value of fresh California fruits, nuts, and vegetables that may be purchased by eligible benefit recipients by "matching" the value of existing benefits.

3) Roots of Change Pilot. One of the bill's sponsors, Roots of Change, used $1.9 million from a DFA specialty block grant to create and fund a market match pilot program from 2009 to 2013. Roots of Change helped establish 14 community-based partners operating in 17 counties, implementing the program in 140 markets and serving 37,000 families. Currently, the program is funded by philanthropic sources at a reduced level, thereby limiting its scope and benefit. The sponsor estimates that a $2 million grant from USDA could generate purchases of $18 million, serve 100,000 clients, and generate hundreds of farm jobs.

4) Current Market Match Programs. While this bill would establish a market match program at the state level, there are currently several market match programs operating in California known as the California Farmers' Market Consortium. These programs are run by a group of nonprofits and cooperatives and already receive federal market match funds. According to DFA, consumers in California were able to purchase over $1.8 million in specialty crops using CalFresh and WIC benefits between 2010 and 2012 through these local programs.

Furthermore, while this bill would codify a Market Match within DFA, such a program is not a necessary precondition to receiving USDA funds. The benefits envisioned by this bill are, in many cases, already being achieved through local programs, and may also be achievable within DFA without necessarily requiring the legislation proposed here.

5) Prior Legislation. This bill is substantially similar to AB 2385 (Ting), statutes of 2014. AB 2385 was held on the Suspense File of this committee.

Analysis Prepared by: Joel Tashjian / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

Henry T. Perea, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1321

Author:(Ting) – As Introduced Ver:February 27, 2015

SUBJECT: Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program.

SUMMARY: This bill establishes the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork (OF2F), creates a NIMG account and requires OF2F to establish minimum standards, funding schedules and grant procedures for the NIMG program. Specifically, this bill:

1. Establishes the NIMG program within OF2F for the purpose of encouraging the buying and eating of California fruit, nuts and vegetables.

2. Defines the following:

1. Nutrition benefit client (NBC) means a person who receives services or payments through any of the following:

1. California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), as described in current state law;

2. CalWORKS program, as described in current state law;

3. CalFresh, as described in current state law;

4. Implementation of the federal WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Act of 1992;

5. The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, as current United State law; or,

6. Supplemental Security Income or State Supplementary Payment, as current United State law.

2. Defines a qualified entity as:

1. A certified farmers’ market, an association of certified producers, or a nonprofit organization representing a collective or association of certified producers, as specified; or,

2. A small business that sells California grown fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables and is authorized to accept nutrition benefits from any of the programs uses by NBC, as specified.

3. Defines a consumer incentive program (CIP) to mean a program administered by a qualified entity that doubles the purchasing value of a NBC's benefits when the benefits are used to purchase California fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

3. Creates the NIMG account within OF2F to collect matching funds from federal grant programs, and other public and private sources.

4. Requires OF2F to provide and administer grants under the NIMG program in accordance with the following:

1. Requires, subject to federal regulation and state appropriations, funds in the NIMG account be awarded by grants to qualified entities for a CIP;

2. Requires OF2F to establish minimum standards, funding schedules and procedures for awarding grants, in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other specified parties of interest, as specified;

1. Requires OF2F to not spend more than one-third of NIMG programs funds on CIP.

3. Requires OF2F to prioritize the awarding of NIMGs based on, but not limited to, the following:

1. Known demographic information as follows:

1. The NBC in an area;

2. The prevalence of diabetes, obesity or other diet related diseases; and,

3. The availability of fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables.

2. Demonstrated skill in administering a CIP; and,

3. Areas where the current population is not being served a CIP.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes OF2F within the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), to work with various entities involved in promoting food access, and to increase the amount of agricultural products available to schools and underserved communities in the state.

2. Requires OF2F to identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, and to coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

3. Creates the Farm to Fork Account in the CDFA Fund consisting of money made available from federal, state, industry, and other sources, and would continuously appropriate the money deposited in the account to carry out the purposes of OF2F.

EXISTING FEDERAL LAW:

1. Establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the food stamp program, administered by USDA, which imposes specified rules on specified program participants and limits benefits based on those rules.

2. Establishes state grants for programs that supplement nutrition benefits that are spent on products at farmers' markets, based upon specified criteria.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed Fiscal by Legislative Counsel.

COMMENTS: The California Market Match (MM) program was launched in 2009 to encourage low-income families receiving benefits through SNAP to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. The program “matches” or doubles the amount of benefits these families can spend and has expanded operations to over 150 farmers’ markets across California and increased the spending power of 37,000 families.

According to the author, strong demand for MM often outstrips available funding for the program. The 2014 federal Farm Bill included $100 million in grant funding for programs such as Market Match that incentivize healthier eating amongst SNAP recipients. In order to best position local programs to receive these federal grants, this bill creates a state NIMG Program to apply for federal funds and award them to local MM programs with a proven record of success. Establishing a state framework to oversee funding of MM programs would leverage state resources to streamline local program administration, and expand MM programs across a more equitable cross-section of communities that lack access to fresh produce.

One of the co-sponsors of this bill, Roots of Change, explained how they used $1.9 million in CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant money, and nearly $300,000 in philanthropic funds from 2009 to 2013, to create the California MM pilot program. The MM pilot program has expanded market opportunities for specialty crop farmers. Supporters state that community-based partners operated in 23 counties to implement MM programs in 150 markets in 2014. Currently, the incentive match funds used to increase purchasing power are derived from philanthropic sources only and are therefore limited in scope. Supporters state the goal of this bill is to assist the state in leveraging federal dollars to increase specialty crop sales among low-income Californians.

The author states that California is uniquely positioned to benefit from greater proliferation of programs such as MM. California grows over 400 commodities and produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. There are approximately 700 certified Farmers’ Markets and 2,200 certified producers in California. Furthermore, the author stresses that California has a persistent poverty problem to solve. 24% of Californians live in poverty and is ranked 50th in the rate of participation in SNAP. Scaling up MM programs would create an incentive for more families to utilize their SNAP benefits and ensure more Californians can afford to eat what is grown locally.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support