SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) On December 16, 2010, the State Board of Food and Agriculture released the strategic plan for the future of the state’s agriculture and food system entitled “California Agricultural Vision: Strategies for Sustainability,” which defines 12 key strategies for California’s agriculture and food sector, including a strategy to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Californians in order to reduce hunger and malnutrition, chronic diseases, and health care costs associated with poor diets, and expand markets for fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and meat grown and produced in California.
(b) On December 3, 2010, the California Strategic Growth Council accepted the first report of the Health in All Policies Task Force, established by Executive Order S-04-10 of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on February 23, 2010, which includes a goal that every California resident has access to healthy, affordable food at school, at work, and in his or her neighborhood.
(c) California has some of the most productive farmlands in the world. California’s farmlands produce more than 350 commodities, specialty crops, and other food items. These farmlands are essential for providing a healthy food supply and guarantee a natural resource for California’s future generations.
(d) According to a University of California at Los Angeles survey of Californians’ health status, despite the state’s agricultural abundance, more than 8
million people live in a household where an adult cannot always afford enough food.
(e) Californians who experience hunger and food insecurity suffer from poor physical and emotional health, as well as a diminished capacity to learn and succeed in the workplace.
(f) Access to healthy food is a basic human right. Low consumption and lack of access to healthy, affordable food may result in higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases.
(g) One in every nine California children, one in three teens, and over half of adults are overweight or obese. The obesity epidemic affects virtually all age, income, educational, ethnic, and disability groups in California, and rates are highest among Californians of Latino, American-Indian, African American, and Pacific Islander descent, Californians from lower income
households, and those with disabilities. More than 30 percent of low-income California children and teens are overweight or obese.
(h) The growing epidemic of overweight individuals is due to poor diet and physical inactivity, putting growing numbers of Californians at risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Increased risk of chronic disease has been attributed to low fruit and vegetable intake in the United States, accounting for $30 billion in associated health care costs in 2008 and 2009.
(i) According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009 less than 20 percent of young people and 23 percent of all American adults reported consuming the minimum goal of five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
(j) In California, partnerships between private and
public entities, among state and local government, local and regional businesses, nonprofit organizations, health care institutions, food banks, and other emergency food providers have helped to establish community programs to combat obesity and related diseases, increase access to healthy food, promote healthy eating, increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, and encourage physical activity.
(k) It is in the interest of the state to support programs that promote increased access to healthy food and increased consumption of California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy in order to improve child and adult nutrition, promote a strong, healthy workforce, and strengthen local and regional farm economies.
(l) With the significant fiscal challenges in California, it is further in the interest of the state to maximize the availability of federal
funding in California in order to support programs and activities that prevent obesity and hunger and increase access to healthy food and consumption of healthy food.
(m) It is further in the interest of the state to encourage and facilitate partnerships between public and private entities to promote a comprehensive approach to nutrition and wellness, including activities that reduce obesity and related diseases, encourage physical activity, and provide nutrition education in order to ensure that all Californians have access to healthy food and can choose a healthy diet.