There is a newer version of the California Code
2007 California Health and Safety Code Article 1.5. Healthy Food Purchase Pilot Program
CA Codes (hsc:104601)
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODESECTION 104601
104601. (a) The department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop a "Healthy Food Purchase" pilot program to increase the sale and purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables in low-income communities. (b) The total number of counties included in the pilot program shall not exceed seven. (c) The department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall design the program to include the following two components: (1) Strategies aimed at small grocers in targeted low-income neighborhoods to increase the offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables in those communities. In selected pilot program communities, the department shall provide targeted food retailers with support or assistance to obtain refrigerated produce display cases through the assessment of the feasibility of a variety of financing methods including, but not limited to, leasing, lending, small business and economic development support, and other time-limited strategies. The department shall also provide technical assistance to targeted retailers on the purchase, storage, marketing, and display of fresh produce. The department shall use available federal funds for this technical assistance, where appropriate. (2) Strategies aimed at food stamp recipients to increase their purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables by making those products more affordable, including the development and implementation of financial incentives. The department, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, shall seek any necessary federal government approvals to allow use of the Food Stamp Electronic Benefits Card, as provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 10065) of Part 1 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to provide those incentives, and to implement the pilot program. (d) In developing the pilot program, the department shall include all of the following: (1) At least one county that is above the food stamp average county participation. (2) At least one county that is below the food stamp average county participation. (3) At least one county with high above-average rates of poverty, food insecurity, or obesity. (4) At least one urban county. (5) At least one rural county. (e) The department shall consider all of the following in choosing counties to participate in the program. (1) The level of need in the community. (2) The size of the food stamp population. (3) The need for geographic diversity. (4) The availability of technology in targeted food retailers to collect the data necessary to evaluate the pilot program. (f) The department shall seek all necessary approvals to establish the pilot program, and shall apply for available federal matching funds to support the work of the pilot program. (g) The department shall develop, in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, a process for evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program. The evaluation shall examine the impact of the various strategies employed in the pilot program on the purchase of fresh produce and on any increase in retailer space devoted to the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the effect this has on retailer profitability. The evaluation also shall test alternatives to the reliance on uniform product codes for identification of fresh produce deemed eligible for financial incentives. The department shall contract with an independent external evaluator to conduct this evaluation. The department shall make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the continuation of the pilot program, and any state and federal policy changes needed to support the goals of the pilot program. (h) The department shall not implement this article in any fiscal year unless an appropriation by the Legislature of federal or other funds has been made, in the annual Budget Act or another statute, to the department expressly for the purposes of implementing this article for that fiscal year. (i) This article shall remain in effect until January 1, 2011, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2011, deletes or extends that date.
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