California Food Policy Advocates is a statewide public policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious and affordable food.
What's New
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Preview of 2007 State Legislative Issues: Check out this 2-pager for some actions the legislature can take in 2007 to improve nutrition in California.
CFPA Release on School Breakfast Scorecard According to School Breakfast Scorecard 2006, a report issued annually by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in Washington, DC, only 861,138 low-income California students participated daily in the Program. Check out CFPA's press release on the report.
Governor's Action on Nutrition Legislation:
Three CFPA Nutrition Bills on the Governor's desk - Click here for details.
Nutrition Legislation Marches On! There has been progress on all 4 of CFPA's Legislative Initiatives:
Want to help get these bills signed by the Governor? Click here.
First Lady Promoting Food Stamps First Lady Maria Shriver was at the Watsonville Farmer's Market to highlight the role food stamps can play in improving nutrition. Check out her Op-ed on Food Stamps here.
Governor Signs Budget: Nutrition was a big winner in the budget the Governor signed. Check it out.
The legislature will soon be going on recess - when they come back in August we'll need your support to keep this success going.
2006 Legislation Check out our 2006 State Legislative page for details on CFPA sponsored legislation and on other nutrition issues in the legislature.
School’s Out…Who Ate? 2006 California Food Policy Advocates’ annual report on summer nutrition in California has been released. To find out how your county did in 2005, to read action steps and to find sites near you, click here: http://www.cfpa.net/SOWA2006.pdf)
School Breakfast Program Participation in California: Click here to find out your school district's School Breakfast Program participation figures for school year 2004-05.
Click here to get a sample press release on the new participation data.
2005 County Nutrition Profile Check out CFPA's annual profile on hunger and nutrition. The County Nutrition Profile report is a comprehensive county-by-county overview of the nutritional status of California residents. The report calculates the missed opportunities of low nutrition program participation and ranks counties according to their performance on key hunger, obesity and health indicators. In addition, the report has a section on school breakfast access and participation in each county. Click here for the profile report data sources and methodology. You can click here to get your county specific County Nutrition Profile.
The Touched By Hunger report contains an estimated number of other persons living in food insecure households along with policy recommendations.
You can click here to get your county specific Touched By Hunger profile.
Also visit www.cfpa.net/2005Press.htm for
Update on CA Fresh Pilot Program. The California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division has issued an update on the implementation of SB 281, the California Fresh Pilot Program. The main message: Nutrition Services has recently learned that CDE must issue emergency regulations in consultation with the Department of Food & Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and the State Board of Education before the California Fresh funds may be released to school districts, a process that should occur by January 2006 at the latest. Read the full update here.
AB 696 Vetoed! The Governor’s veto today of AB 696, the Food for Families Act, sullied an otherwise shining session for nutrition. By signing AB 696, the Governor could have extended his nutrition revolution further into low-income communities. Instead, with his veto, he continues to prevent hard working families from getting federal nutrition benefits. The Governor’s veto was surprising given a scathing state audit of system of finger print system, the removal of opposition from law enforcement, and the Governor’s own interest in being the “collectinator” when it comes to federal funds. For the Governor's veto message click here.
AB 1385 Signed by the Governor! The Food for Schoolchildren Act was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 28. Thanks go out to all of you who made calls, wrote letters, etc. Thanks to your efforts, 53,000 more kids will be getting free meals at school. Thanks to your efforts hundreds of thousands of parents and schools administrators will be free of unnecessary red tape. Click here to view the Governor's press release. More details soon......
After 8 years - a Food Stamp Victory in the Budget! Click here for details.
Governor signs budget: Click here to find out about nutrition issues in the final budget.
SB 281 Signed By the Governor! SB 281 (Maldonado), which creates the California Fresh Pilot Program, was signed by the Governor on Thursday, September 15 at the Summit on Nutrition, Health and Obesity. The new law provides school districts with an additional 10 cents for serving fruit or vegetables--with priority for fresh--as part of the School Breakfast Program. Click here for an FAQ.
New Report on Summer Nutrition Summer Feeding Programs Reached Only 30% of Low-Income Children in California, according to a new report from CFPA. View the report and a press release.
New Research Released: 2.9 Million Low-Income Adults Struggling to Put Food on the Table in California
Major Breakthrough on Removing the Finger Imaging Barrier! Yesterday, the legislature's budget conference committee voted to accept a compromise that would end the practice of finger imaging food stamp applicants in the state of California. This action will be included in the budget that the legislature sends to the Governor. While this is terrific news, it is isn't over until the Governor signs the budget. For more details on this action and for next steps contact george@cfpa.net Governor proposes investing $18.2 million in School Breakfast! CFPA has been fighting hard to get policymakers to give attention to School Breakfast because of the program's amazing benefits. And we have been pushing for ways to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among school children in California. Governor Schwarzenegger has taken action in his May Revise budget proposal. Click here to see a summary and an expression of gratitude for this important investment. Governor still plans to cut vital supports for low-income Californians Despite substantial new revenue, Governor Schwarzenegger’s May Revise of the state budget proposes $1.3 billion in cuts to programs that serve the poorest families in California. The Governor’s budget proposes cuts to multiple programs for both the blind, aged and disabled and for working families on CalWORKs (see www.cbp.org for details). Local Wellness Policy Resources: A new federal law requires every school district to adopt a Local Wellness Policy by the start of the 2006-07 school year. This is a great opportunity to focus community attention on fighting hunger and preventing obesity. CFPA is working on several resources to help community partners get involved in this process. Click here for an assessment tool that compares current school policy with the Local Wellness Policy requirements. Click here for a special focus on improving school breakfast through the Local Wellness Policy process. And click here for a primer on the school meal programs. Any questions? Email jreich@cfpa.net for more info! SacBee Op-ed: Thankfully, Schwarzenegger is no Gallagher when it comes to healthy eating. Click here for a print-friendly version. One-Stop Snack Shop. Check out this resource page for everything you need to know about California's exciting, new Snack Pilot. As part of child nutrition reauthorization, California community SFSP sponsors are able to receive funding to serve snacks all year long Food Stamp Materials for Immigrants: Clarifying Public Charge! Advocates have long worried that immigrants' use of food stamps may be discouraged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (the new INS). In response to these concerns, CFPA and USDA are releasing updated information and letters signed by the US CIS. Click here for the letters and for more info.
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QUICK FIND:
2007 State Legislation Preview
Food Stamp Reauthorization
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Nutritional
Analysis of the Governor's Budget