Jack Reed: “today I am introducing the Expanding Access to EAT Local Foods Act with Senators Brown, Booker, Wyden, Butler…”

“today I am introducing the Expanding Access to EAT Local Foods Act with Senators Brown, Booker, Wyden, Butler, Whitehouse, King, Blumenthal, Smith, Shaheen, Warren, Fetterman, and Welch. This bill would create a permanent grant program for State and Tribal governments to procure local foods for distribution to nearby hunger relief programs. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted national supply chains and highlighted the importance of resilient, local food systems. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created the Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement, LFPA, Program, using nearly $900 million in one-time funds. Through LFPA, USDA has awarded grants to State and Tribal governments to buy local foods for distribution to nearby feeding programs. LFPA provides as access to food for those in need, creates economic opportunity for local and underserved producers, farmers, and fishermen, and strengthens our food supply chains. This program is making a positive impact in communities across the country. In my home State of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has worked with the nonprofit Farm Fresh Rhode Island to purchase food from 95 local producers, distributing that nutritious, local food to over 65,000 Rhode Islanders. However, unless codified in law, this program will end when the one- time LFPA dollars are fully expended.…”