In the News

Fresno, Calif. A newly formed organization has begun a statewide effort to bring healthy foods grown on California farms to school cafeterias.

The California Food and Justice Coalition is seeking to form a committee of legislators, business owners and farmers to promote the use of California-grown products in state schools in an effort to
bring healthier foods to children while keeping money circulating in the communities where the food is grown.

"It's a mutually beneficial relationship," said Heather Fenney, California coordinator for the Community Food Security Coalition, a national organization that spawned the statewide effort.

"It helps students and it also creates a market opportunity for small and sustainable farmers who circulate their dollars back into communities," Fenney added. "If the state were to play a larger role
in helping encourage these kinds of programs, it would be a great benefit to everyone involved."

The group met last week in Sacramento . A meeting hosted by the Center for Food and Justice was held in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Another meeting is slated for Fresno on Sept. 30. Assembly Member
Sarah Reyes, D-Fresno, will be the keynote speaker.

Fenney said one of the state group's main goals is to form a food policy council made up of elected officials, government agencies and community organizations to advise legislators on issues related to
improving access to healthy foods and enhancing the quality and nutritional value of locally grown products provided to schools.

"We want to get California produce produced by small California farmers onto Californians' plates," she said. "With that, you address a number of issues, including transportation, local economic
benefits and the ability of the state to meet its own food needs."

The coalition is urging the state's congressional delegation to co-sponsor legislation that would provide grant funds of up to $100,000 per school district to establish the so-called "farm-to-cafeteria"
programs.

Organizers are asking state leaders to support several bills, including the Farm to Cafeteria Projects Act and the Child Nutrition Initiatives Act, both of which are slated for debate in Congress
this fall.

"California is uniquely situated as the nation's largest food producer to really make farm to school programs work," said Penny Leff of the Berkeley Farmers Market. "With additional start-up funds
from Congress, we can duplicate ... successes in many more school districts than we're in now, and it's a win-win for everyone."

Dana Harvey of the West Oakland Food Project Collaborative, noted that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has announced that school districts now have the chance to compete for
up to $2,000 in available funds by providing healthier foods in their cafeterias.

"The federal legislation goes even farther by providing schools with funds to research regional farms and crop availability and to purchase cold storage facilities and salad bars," Harvey said.

Meanwhile, California will become the first state to ban soft drink sales to elementary and junior high school students and to require school board approval of other junk food vending contracts with the
passage of legislation last week.

"Our responsibility to children is not only to educate them, but also make sure they are as healthy of mind as they are of body," Gov. Gray Davis said as he promised to sign the measures.

Karrie Stevens Thomas, a program director for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, said healthier foods in school cafeterias will provide kids with the nutrition they need and small farmers with the
access to markets otherwise unavailable to them.

"To the farmers, it really means access to a market that was previously closed to them, particularly the smaller family farmer in California , which makes up the vast majority," Thomas said. "The
food service industry is typically only open to large scale farmers.

"And the kids will be getting fresher food, which tastes better and has greater nutritional value."