Office of Farm to Fork: California Farm to School Program.

Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. This bill would establish the California Farm to School Program, to be developed, administered, and implemented by the office, as specified, for purposes of cultivating equity, nurturing students, building climate resilience, and creating scalable and sustainable change in the school food system. The bill would require that the program increase procurement of foods that are grown or produced in California and are whole or minimally processed from food producers in California for school meal programs and increase hands-on food education opportunities that engage pupils and connect the classroom with the cafeteria. The bill would authorize the office, to the extent that funding is available, to implement initiatives under the program, including, but not limited to, initiatives that advance the California farm to school network and increase the nutritional profile of foods provided in schools. The bill would require the office to administer the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program under the program. The bill would create the Farm to School Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, consisting of funds from federal, state, industry, philanthropic, and private sources, which the bill would make available to the department upon appropriation by the Legislature for purposes of the program.