California Assembly Bill ACR161 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: ACR 161AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 15, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 8, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 6, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Dickinson JUNE 13, 2012 Relative to food literacy awareness month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 161, as amended, Dickinson. Food literacy awareness month. This measure would proclaim the month of September of each year as food literacy awareness month. Fiscal committee:  yes   no  . WHEREAS, "Food literacy" is defined as the understanding of the impact of your food choices on your health, the environment, and our community; and WHEREAS, Our food choices affect our health. In California, 38 percent of children are overweight. If the problem of obesity is not reversed, poor diet and physical inactivity will likely overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in America; and WHEREAS, Only 25 percent of United States adults eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; and WHEREAS, Residents living in low-income and underserved rural and urban neighborhoods without access to healthy foods, known as "food deserts," have more health problems and higher mortality rates than residents of areas with a higher proportion of grocery stores. Outcomes worsen when the food desert has high concentrations of nearby fast food alternatives; and WHEREAS, People who shop at farmers' markets obtain farm-grown products that make a shorter farm-to-table trip, purchase directly from a family farm, obtain cultural and specialty fruits and vegetables that are often not easily available elsewhere, and strengthen the local economy while decreasing the demand on transportation from outlying areas; and WHEREAS, Our food choices affect the environment: when food items are sold in a more direct way, such as at farmers' markets, food items tend to be relatively less processed, which can result in significant energy savings; and WHEREAS, Our food choices affect our community: as they develop, California food systems create jobs and raise incomes in the areas they serve; and WHEREAS, For more than 60 consecutive years, California has been the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than 400 crops and livestock products and accounting for approximately 50 percent of the nation's supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and WHEREAS, Education is needed to inspire change. A broad approach to nutritional education is vital to ensure that California agriculture continues to flourish; and WHEREAS, When individuals are taught how to cook with fresh fruits and vegetables, they are 85 percent more likely to incorporate  them   fruits and vegetables  into their diet. People who don't cook spend a larger percentage of their budget on food than those who do; and WHEREAS, The objective of food literacy awareness month will be to promote food education, inspire food choices that are good for people and good for the planet, encourage parental involvement, and motivate communitywide support; now, therefore be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month of September of each year as food literacy awareness month in California; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.