Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program.

Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, as prescribed, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. This bill would, upon appropriation and until January 1, 2031, establish the Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program, which the office would administer, to award competitive grants to eligible applicants to provide hospital patients with meals prepared from California-sourced agricultural products and build direct relationships with California farmers and ranchers, as specified. The bill would require the office, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, to develop grant criteria to evaluate proposals from eligible applicants. The bill would authorize grant recipients to use grant moneys only for specified purposes, and require them to report specified information to the office and State Department of Public Health. The bill would require the office, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, on or before January 1, 2027, to submit to the Legislature a report on the pilot program.