State Healthy Food Access Policy.

Existing law establishes various food assistance programs, including, among others, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. This bill would declare that it is the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food. The bill would require all relevant state agencies, including the State Department of Social Services, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the State Department of Public Health, to consider this state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when those policies, regulations, and grant criteria are pertinent to the distribution of food and nutrition assistance. The bill would also require, by January 1, 2023, the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Conservation, to submit a report to the Legislature relating to food access and recommendations to increase the availability of sufficient affordable and healthy food.