Office of Farm to Fork: California Farm to School Program.

Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry's proposal to establish the California Farm to School Program aims to forge stronger connections between local agriculture and school food systems through a new initiative administered by the Office of Farm to Fork. The program would create pathways for schools to procure more California-grown whole and minimally processed foods while expanding hands-on food education opportunities for students.

The legislation outlines several key components for implementation. Schools would incorporate more locally sourced ingredients into their meal programs while students would engage in educational activities through school gardens, farm visits, culinary classes, and other experiential learning opportunities. The Office of Farm to Fork would facilitate relationships between food producers and school personnel, providing resources on agricultural best practices, food safety certification, and insurance requirements. The office would also oversee a new Farm to School Incubator Grant Program to support these efforts.

To fund these activities, the bill creates the Farm to School Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund. This account would collect and distribute funds from federal, state, industry, philanthropic, and private sources, subject to legislative appropriation. The Department of Food and Agriculture would develop regulations to guide program implementation and administration.

The proposal builds upon the Office of Farm to Fork's existing work with agricultural industry partners and food access organizations. Through the new interagency working group, the program would coordinate efforts across departments to integrate local agriculture into school communities through both procurement and education channels.