Welcome!
The California Food Policy Council is seeking passionate individuals to join our seven policy working groups. These groups are established by the CAFPC to promote ongoing work and accomplish specific tasks related the issue areas described below. They will make recommendations of positions to the full council on matters related to their assigned area of work.
Please review the descriptions below and continue to the next page to submit your contact information, experience and policy interests. We expect these groups to evolve and refine their goals as part of future working group discussions.
Healthy Food Access
Increase access to fresh, local produce, especially among communities most negatively impacted by the current food system, by broadening eligibility and streamlining enrollment pathways to CalFresh and other nutrition assistance programs. Examples include categorical eligibility to these programs through SSI, Medi-Cal, etc. Create more structural support for healthy food vendors, including farmers’ markets and grocery stores. Advocate for access to safe drinking water for all Californians.
School Food Environment
Advocate for access to healthy, culturally appropriate and locally sourced food in schools, including breakfasts, summer meals and free or reduced meals. Increase funding and structural support for farm-to-school sourcing of California produce. Eliminate of foods with high sugar content, such as sports drinks and sodas, from school campuses. Extend statewide school food policy to charter schools. Increase resources available for K-12 garden-based nutrition education programs.
Regional Food System Infrastructure / Land Use
Strengthen regional food economies by advocating for the development of regional food hubs and ecologically sound processing facilities. Remove barriers to the development of small-scale, regional food enterprises by advocating for relevant legislation including cottage food law and appropriate urban agriculture zoning policy. Integrate health criteria and agricultural land conservation and stewardship practices into state and county land use policy.
Food System Workers
Advocate for more just working conditions for individuals who work in the food system chain. Conditions include but are not limited to mandatory shade and drinking water requirements for farm workers, paid sick leave, agricultural job permits for undocumented workers, and living wage job creation in this sector.
Farm Viability
Advocate for scale appropriate regulatory environment that encourages resilience and diversity in our system by supporting small and medium size producers and processors. Increased state support for direct marketing business models these operations rely upon, such as CSAs. Improve financing opportunities for small, local farms and food businesses.
Ecologically Based Farming
Reform policies that govern the use of water and nutrient inputs in California agriculture. Includes removing barriers to on-farm renewable energy generation, efforts to protect pollinators by limiting pesticide use, greater transparency in ag water use and oil/gas drilling operations, and allocations of cap and trade or tax revenues to research and implementation of ecologically sound agricultural practices.
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