States Introduce Bills to Support Local Food Systems

In an unprecedented shift, state lawmakers are introducing bills mandating government purchase of local foods even if costs increase slightly. To counteract our ever-growing global food system, local food bills have been introduced in eight states—Vermont, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—aimed at boosting state economies while simultaneously promoting locally grown sustainable foods.

The last half-century has brought a vast consolidation of food production, distribution, and retailing. Decisions regarding how food is grown and sold are orchestrated by just a handful of multi-national corporations. Kraft, Nestle, Cargill, ADM, and Unilever are among the giant corporations manufacturing and marketing 95% of the food in the United States. Our food is now likely to have been grown in various parts of the world and has undoubtedly traveled many thousands of miles before reaching our dinner plates.

For anyone who has followed the rise of the globalized economy, we recognize that corrections must be made if we are going to protect our unique regional characteristics, bolster local economies, and better support the environment. For even as the global food sector continues to amass over $200 billion annually, farming incomes are decreasing. With fewer dollars reaching farmers, fewer funds are cycling through rural farming communities.

In contrast, localizing our food systems can revitalize rural communities while prioritizing the local environment and health. Foods that stay close to home require fewer resources, bring greater economic profit to farmers, provide health benefits to consumers, foster job growth, and assist in weaving the social fabric of communities.

The local food bills of 2007 go a long way to address the shortfalls of our predominant global food system. Illinois’ bill sponsored by Representative Julie Hamos intends to address the economic discrepancy. Her bill calls for the establishment of a new Illinois Local and Organic Food Task Force charged with creating a plan to grow more food locally, exporting fewer food dollars to other states and abroad, and strengthening more environmentally friendly growing practices. According to Hamos, “the Agriculture and Conservation Committee was mesmerized to learn that 90% of food consumed in Illinois is grown outside the state. The Committee recognized the possibilities of supporting the bill and creating new markets.”

When I contacted Representative Dexter Randall, sponsor of the bill in Vermont, he explained that the bill was introduced “as an economic driver as well as a way to provide fresher food for the residents of Vermont.” A dairy farmer himself, Randall explained, “Under the current system, Vermont citizens only consume 5% of our total milk produced. This is a very small amount. Milk is a primary economic engine of our state and we need to keep these dollars cycling locally.” Vermont’s bill is the most comprehensive of the local food bills introduced this year. It directs state agencies and institutions to purchase locally grown foods whenever possible at a cost of no more than eight percent above like products produced outside the state.

New Mexico’s legislature adjourned while Senator Dede Feldman’s bill was in committee, but Senator Feldman remains optimistic. “The bill did not pass but we were able to procure $75,000 for fresh produce for schools within the Valley,” said Feldman. “My primary motivation was to provide a market for local farmers so that we can sustain our agriculture in a state rapidly becoming urbanized.” Senator Feldman will re-introduce the bill next year.

While farmers and consumers alike are becoming more acutely aware of the consequences of food globalization, the newly introduced local food bills are a first step in attenuating the impacts of the global food system. Using government purchasing power, the bills represent an important stride in tweaking the global food system so that unique local features including rural farming communities are maintained.

As an example pointed out in a report conducted by the California Department of Agriculture, shifting to purchasing 50 percent more food from in-state sources would generate $6.91 billion in additional economic activity for the state and create 27,000 new jobs.

Passage of the bills is likely to be difficult even as the deleterious effects of global food are becoming better understood. The concentrated and financially powerful corporations at the helm of the global food system see the bills as a threat to their very structure. Vermont Representative Dexter Randall summed up the fight well. “The wolves will be at our door and we have to be prepared. We know they will be there because advocating for local food is a threat to their cozy industry.”

For more information on the 2007 state local food bills, visit the Environmental Commons tracker, http://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-tracker.html