Ensure Support for Local Food

Is supporting your local farmer, visiting your farmers market, CSA, food coop, or other local food source important to you? What about having fresh, local food for your child’s school meals?  There is an opportunity for you to support your local farmers and to ensure your local food system continues to grow--the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act.

A 2010 National Grocery Association consumer panel reported that 83 percent of all respondents assign importance to the availability of locally grown food when choosing a grocery store. Yet significant barriers exist to growing this segment of agriculture.

The goal of this legislation is to advance the development of local and regional farm and food systems from farm to table. Local food systems not only hold potential for connecting consumers with where their food comes from, but also for boosting farm income, stimulating job creation and economic development, and meeting public health and nutrition goals.

The bill will address the needs of consumers in accessing food from their local communities and the needs of farmers and ranchers producing for local and regional markets, including infrastructure and processing capabilities. While there are growing “relocalization” efforts and local food economies across the nation, policy reforms are needed to overcome barriers and more fully capitalize on the new farming opportunities, jobs, and economic growth this sector can deliver.

Help boost farm income and meet consumer demand by advocating for the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act.