Promoting Local Sourcing Through the Buy American Food Act

S.B. 490, the Buy American Food Act, requires public institutions receiving federal meal reimbursement funding to prioritize purchasing domestically grown, packed, or processed agricultural products, unless the non-domestic option is at least 25% cheaper, of higher quality, or not available in sufficient quantities. Local educational agencies with federal meal reimbursements below $1,000,000 and certain federal programs are exempt from this requirement, and the Act mandates documentation and reporting to monitor compliance.

This bill states that over one-third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California. Though it does not make the explicit connection regarding California-grown foods, the bill implies that more domestic products is equivalent to increasing local food procurement.