Keep Your Eye on These Food Policy Bills
Since 2012, there has been a significant spike in the number of food policy legislation and ordinances passed at the state and local levels. We live in a state where 18 percent of our landfills contain edible waste and 60 percent of young children eat fast food weekly. So it’s no surprise that policymakers are taking aim at a broken food system to improve the health of California youth and the planet.
Chef Brenda Ruiz, president of the Sacramento Food Policy Council, stays abreast of multiple bills at once to educate advocates that volunteer with the council. She credits a mobilizing community for the recent burst of activity around food legislation and believes policy is the key to lasting change. The council encourages local residents to participate in the political process so their views end up reflected in the laws.
Some Sacramento advocates recently shared with Comstock’s which state legislation and local policy they’re currently watching:
SCUSD Policies
Ruiz is among the many advocates (including myself) who have provided public comment to Sacramento City Unified School District, which is taking bold steps to improve student health. In June, SCUSD announced a timeline to build a central kitchen by 2021, a facility that will expand the district’s farm-to-school program by allowing more entreés to be prepared from scratch using locally-sourced ingredients. The effort is funded by Measure R, which passed in 2012.
The SCUSD school board is also expected to approve a new school wellness policy to eliminate the marketing of junk food during Keep Your Eye on These Food Policy Bills | Comstock's magazine:
