By Laetitia Benador
Calling all California farmers and food businesses: add your name in support of CCOF-sponsored AB 1731!
Organic farmers and businesses across California have been telling us the same thing: selling to schools should be easier.
Even when schools want to buy organic and local food, complicated purchasing rules, budget constraints, and distribution barriers often make it hard for them to connect with farms.
AB 1731, a bill CCOF is co-sponsoring in the California Legislature, aims to change that.
The bill would create a California Healthy Food Procurement Fund designed to make it easier for schools to purchase local, organic food through an approved vendor program. To become an approved vendor through CDFA, farms with their own distribution capacity, regional food distributors, and food hubs must provide whole or minimally processed foods sourced from local farms, including certified organic and transitioning to organic.
Creating Market Opportunities for Organic Farms & Businesses
Today, much of the food served in schools comes through large national supply chains.
However, a new law is requiring California’s schools to stop serving ultra-processed foods to students. We want to make sure that California’s organic farmers and businesses can take advantage of this major opportunity to supply schools with the healthy food they will need.
Schools are one of the biggest markets in the state, serving nearly 5 million meals to students every day.
Join fellow organic farmers and food businesses across California in supporting AB 1731.
Add your name to the support letter — it takes less than a minute.
Your support helps show legislators that this matters to the organic community. Please feel free to pass this along to other farmers or food businesses who may be interested in signing on.
To learn more or get involved, please contact CCOF Policy Manager, Laetitia Benador at lbenador@ccof.org or 831-346-6339.
