BILL NUMBER: AB 2586INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hueso FEBRUARY 24, 2012 An act relating to food access. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2586, as introduced, Hueso. The California Healthy Choices Program. Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. Existing law also establishes the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative for the purpose of promoting healthy food access in the state, and requires the department to implement the initiative. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to establish the California Healthy Choices Program, a voluntary grocery store certification program, to be implemented by the department. The bill would state findings and declarations relating to stocking and promoting of healthy foods in stores. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Despite various local and state policies to encourage healthy living, the percentage of overweight and obese people in California continues to be a major concern. (b) A recent study by the University of California at Los Angeles found that between 2005 and 2010, more than half of the counties in the state experienced an increase in rates of overweight and obese youth. (c) According to an annual report by the Trust for America's Health, nearly 25 percent of adults in California are obese and an additional 37 percent are overweight. (d) Being overweight or obese is associated with serious health risks, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. (e) Being overweight and obese have significant economic impacts, both directly and indirectly. Direct costs may include diagnostic and treatment services related to being overweight and obese. Indirect costs may include decreased productivity, restricted activity, and future value lost by premature death. It has been estimated that California families, employers, the health care industry, and the government pay more than $21 billion each year on costs related to being overweight and obese. (f) Regional variations in overweight and obesity rates exemplify how differences in demographic, social, economic, and environmental characteristics and local policies and programs play a major role in healthy options for a community. (g) The food environment in California varies greatly, and some counties have limited access to stores that offer fresh fruit and vegetables as compared to the availability of fast food and convenience stores in those counties. (h) Studies have shown that the display and advertisement of unhealthy products in stores directly impacts consumer patterns. When stores stock and promote healthy foods, consumers buy those foods more often. (i) The overall layout of a store affects what consumers buy, and consumers are influenced not only by what is available and affordable, but also by how products are organized and advertised inside the store. When nuts and granola bars, rather than candy and chips, are stocked in check-out lanes, consumers are much less likely to make an unhealthy impulse purchase. Marketing displays in a store also impact consumer choices. (j) The creation of a voluntary grocery store certification program will build a partnership between health experts, grocers, and community members to encourage healthier lifestyles for all Californians. SEC. 2. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to create the California Healthy Choices Program, a voluntary grocery store certification program for California grocery stores, to be implemented by the Department of Food and Agriculture.