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AB 1577: CalFood Funding

September 14th, 2024

Photo of food delivery being put into the trunk of a man's car with text that reads, "AB 1577." California state outline to the right with a food box full of grocery items outline.

Photo Credits: FARSB


Food banks are primarily funded by grants, private donors, and corporate sponsors to sustain life-saving hunger relief programs. Government funding is also necessary, especially when emergencies or natural disasters abruptly increase the need in surrounding communities.


While some local government funding through select grants helps food banks operate, federal funding opportunities can greatly benefit the entire state and its residents.


AB 1577 supports provisions for food banks, specifically for emergency food purchases. The bill addresses $120 million in total funding, with part allocated to addressing immediate food insecurity and part for finding ways to sustainably produce and supply food banks with produce in the coming years.


AB 1577 Overview

This assembly bill aims to fund the State Emergency Food Assistance Program (SEFAP), allocating resources to the CalFood and SEFAP Accounts, collectively known as the CalFood Account. This account would provide funding for emergency food that goes to food banks and is used for natural disasters, and food shortages, and support low-income households.


CalFood would be funded through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provide money for the purchase of fresh produce and food items from local farmers and growers. This is essential to California's economy and agriculture to provide fresh, more nutritious foods for families and individuals in need.

Orange box with text that reads, " AB 1577 provides $120 million for immediate relief and $52 million for future installments added to the base budget), in funding for emergency food to food banks for natural disaster and individuals resident's disaster relief." Light green box with text that reads, "The CalFood program is USDA funded and would not come from individual or corporate donors or food donations and allows for food banks to purchase the food they need at a lower cost than consumers could." Purple box with text that reads, "Food insecurity in California remains nearly double the numbers of pre-pandemic levels and needs to be addressed in public policy at local and national levels to alleviate the issue at the source."

The funding from this bill will be used specifically for the purchase, storage, and transportation of food grown or produced in California. The bill also stipulates that only ten percent of the annual funding can be used for the storage and transportation of food items to ensure that a large percentage of the funds go directly to food purchases.


Though this funding would be sufficient to meet the needs of food-insecure households in California, this bill allows for additional voluntary donations to be reviewed directly to the CalFood account.


Impact on California Residents

For residents in California, AB 1577 would have a tremendous impact on the operations of food banks, the hunger relief programs available, and access to nutritious meal options. This bill can positively impact the four million residents who struggle with hunger in the state and aims to combat the high healthcare costs due to hunger-related illnesses and diseases.


The total cost for Californians for healthcare due to diseases and health issues linked to food insecurity is hundreds of millions each year. According to the California Association of Food Banks, even a drop in hunger of just 1% would save households $600 million in prevented healthcare costs.

Orange box with text that reads, "Funding food banks directly will allow for more food per dollar than what it would be from individuals. $1 provides up to five meals." Light green box with text that reads, "A 1% drop in hunger saves California $600 million in prevented healthcare costs, and boosts local economy with rise in funds for struggling farmers in region." Purple box with text that reads, "Other proposals have funded programs but have left a significant amount of needs unaddressed, leaving around 4 million residents still going hungry."

Funding through food banks is an efficient way to provide a larger amount of nutritious food to those in need because they can purchase more for less money to allow more residents to get the food they need to last them the rest of the month. For every dollar spent, some food banks (like FARSB) can provide up to five meals.


Because 80% of food is donated, food banks receiving funding allow them to purchase the nutritious items they want folks to have to stay healthy, instead of relying completely on donations that may not be the healthiest option.


It also boosts the local economy because food banks use the funding to purchase from local farmers, keeping the money in the state instead of going elsewhere for imported products.


Wrap-Up

Hunger and food insecurity are still issues in the state of California, and especially the IE, but bills like AB 1577 aim to alleviate these problems for families and individuals on a large scale. FARSB wants to ensure everyone has access to the food and nutrition they need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.


Advocating for bills that address hunger and food insecurity in California and nationwide will help us accomplish our mission of alleviating hunger within the Inland Empire and allow our partner network to do the same in their communities.


If you want to stay updated on legislation being passed that affects FARSB's mission, please visit: FeedingIE.org/advocacy 



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