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Floor Speech
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Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Strengthening Local Food Access Act with my colleague from West Virginia, Mr. Justice. Our bipartisan bill would create a grant program for State and Tribal governments to procure local foods for distribution to nearby hunger relief and school meal programs.
Local food systems that connect farmers and fishermen directly to the people they feed can be a real economic driver for communities. These local networks not only support the growth of local farmers and small businesses; they also ensure that food is readily available even when there is a breakdown in the broader food supply chain due natural disaster, transportation disruption, or disease. This bill would strengthen these local food systems by creating a market for producers to provide nutritious local food to children and those in need.
Indeed, the Strengthening Local Food Access Act would support local food systems by helping States and Tribes purchase food from producers within their geographic bounds or within 400 miles of the final delivery destination, for distribution to nearby feeding programs and for use in school meals.
This is a win-win-win. First, the bill supports local economic development by providing local producers with access to the hunger relief market. By establishing a new, reliable stream of orders for small local growers and harvesters, the bill will give these businesses the financial security to invest and further expand. Second, the bill strengthens our domestic agriculture supply chain by investing in local food distribution, in turn helping build local businesses that support durable and resilient local food systems. Third, the Strengthening Local Food Access Act would help combat food insecurity and improve food access by providing fresh, nutritious, local food to underserved communities and school feeding programs.
I am pleased that the bill is supported by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture NASDA, National Farmers Union, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. And in Rhode Island, the bill is supported by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Food Policy Council. I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and in working to include it in the farm bill. ______
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