There is hereby created in the department the Office of Farm to Fork. To the extent that resources are available, this office shall work with the agricultural industry, direct marketing organizations, food policy councils, public health groups, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, academic institutions, district agricultural associations, county, state, and federal agencies, and other organizations involved in promoting food access to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in this state. The office, under the auspices of the department, shall do all of the following:

(a) Work with regional and statewide stakeholders to identify urban and rural communities that lack access to healthy food, determine current barriers to food access, and share information to encourage best practices.

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(b) Coordinate with other local, state, and federal agencies to promote and increase awareness of programs that promote greater food access.

(c) Promote greater retail sale of healthy food in underserved communities, including promoting the acceptance of California Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and CalFresh benefits at certified farmers’ markets, encouraging the development and sustainability of local policies that support urban agriculture, increasing the number and quality of food retail outlets in inner city and rural communities, and maximizing resources in the interest of increasing food access.

(d) Foster partnerships between community partners, including farmers, businesses, and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.

(e) Identify distribution barriers that affect limited food access, including, but not limited to, shortage of food retail outlets, limited store capacity, high distribution costs, and lack of capital funding opportunities, and work to overcome those barriers through the following:

(1) Encouraging food hubs or other aggregation systems.

(2) Coordinating institutional food procurement and buying practices.

(3) Increasing access to information, technical assistance, and resources, including developing opportunities through the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative (Article 3 (commencing with Section 104660) of Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code) in the office of the Treasurer.

(f) Identify opportunities and provide technical assistance for collaboration between farmers, regional and local food banks, partner agencies, and nonprofit charitable organizations in the gleaning, collection, and distribution of agricultural products for the purposes of reducing hunger and increasing access to healthy foods.

(g) Identify informational resources and organizations to provide technical assistance on small scale and backyard farming, community gardens, and other agricultural products for residents of underserved communities.

(h) Identify opportunities for collaboration with community organizations, social services, and partner agencies to provide cooking and nutrition education classes to residents of underserved communities.

(i) Coordinate with school districts and representatives to do the following:

(1) Provide tools to facilitate relationships between local producers and school food procurement personnel, and encourage opportunities to incorporate best purchasing practices such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification and insurance.

(2) Increase the nutritional profile of foods provided in schools.

(3) Increase access to nutrition education programs and information in schools.

(Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 583, Sec. 1. (AB 2413) Effective January 1, 2015.)