Article
2. Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program
49005.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program.49005.01.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “California-sourced agricultural products” means agricultural products that have been produced in California or harvested in its surface or coastal waters.
(b) “Climate smart agricultural practices” includes those practices defined as “climate smart agricultural practices” in the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service’s conservation practice standards or by the department for purposes of the Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995 (Article 8.5 (commencing with Section 560) of Chapter 3
of Part 1 of Division 1) or Part 1(commencing with Section 101) of Division 1.
(b)
(c) “Eligible applicant” means the University of California, a research hospital, or a hospital capable of complying with the requirements of this article.
(c)
(d) “Food hub” means a
public-serving aggregation and distribution enterprise or community food
hub for California-sourced agricultural products.
(d)
(e) “Grant moneys” means moneys awarded to an eligible
applicant through the pilot program.
(e)
(f) “Grantee” means an eligible applicant awarded grant moneys through the pilot program.
(f)
(g) “Office” means the Office of Farm to Fork created by Section 49001.
(g)
(h) “Pilot program” means the Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program established by Section 49005.05.
(h)
(i) “Research hospital” means a hospital that expends at least 10 percent of its operating budget in each fiscal year exclusively on medical research activities that are not directly related to the provision of services to patients.
(i)
(j) “Socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher” has the same meaning as defined in Section 512.
(j)“Sustainable agricultural practices” has the same meaning as that term is used in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Act of 1986 (Article 8 (commencing with Section 550) of Chapter 3 of Part 1 of Division 1).
49005.05.
(a) The Farm to Hospital Grant Pilot Program, upon appropriation for this purpose, is hereby established.(b) The office shall administer the pilot program.
(c) In administering the pilot program, the office shall award competitive grants to eligible applicants to provide hospital patients with meals prepared from California-sourced agricultural products and build direct relationships with California farmers and ranchers, consistent with this article.
49005.10.
(a) The office, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, shall develop grant criteria to evaluate proposals from eligible applicants.(b) As part of each proposal, an eligible applicant shall include all of the following:
(1) A proposal narrative.
(2) A proposal budget.
(3) The scope and estimated number of hospital patients to be served meals by California-sourced agricultural products through the proposal.
(4) A description of the eligible applicant’s existing meal
preparation facilities and food procurement practices.
(5) The proposed use of any grant moneys awarded, including how that use is consistent with the purposes described by Section 49005.20.
(6) A plan for direct outreach to farms, ranches, and food hubs and for procurement, either directly or through a food distributor, from farms, ranches, and food hubs.
49005.20.
A grantee may use grant moneys for only the following purposes:(a) Improving or expanding hospital meal preparation facilities or infrastructure for the use, preparation, or storage of California-sourced agricultural products.
(b) Supporting the planning of menus and patient meals that use seasonal California-sourced agricultural products.
(c) Purchasing equipment for meal preparation or storage of California-sourced agricultural products.
(d) Staffing necessary to conduct outreach to farms, plan menus, and
procure California-sourced agricultural products.
(e) Cost-share purchasing of California-sourced agricultural products pursuant to Section 49005.30.
(f) Conducting outreach to California farmers, ranchers, or food hubs to procure California-sourced agricultural products or connect farmers, ranchers, or food hubs with food distributors contracted by a hospital.
49005.30.
(a) The office shall set the percentage of a grantee’s costs of purchasing California-sourced agricultural products that the office will pay using grant moneys through cost-share purchasing.(b) In addition to the percentage set pursuant to subdivision (a) for purposes of cost-share purchasing, for each of the following conditions applicable to the entity from which the California-sourced agricultural products are purchased, the office shall set a separate cost-share purchasing percentage:
(1) The farm or ranch employs sustainable
climate smart agricultural practices.
(2) The farm or ranch is owned by a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, woman farmer or rancher, or veteran farmer or rancher.
(3) The farm or ranch has gross incomes under two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).
(4) The entity is a food hub that serves a farm or ranch described in paragraph (2) or (3).
(c) In setting percentages pursuant to subdivision (b), the office may set a different percentage for each condition.
49005.40.
The office shall provide technical assistance to, and leverage its relationships with community-based organizations, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and county farm bureaus to, assist grantees for purposes of identifying and communicating with California farmers, ranchers, and food hubs.49005.90.
(a) Each grantee shall collect the following information, before and after each meal, from each hospital patient provided with a meal prepared from California-sourced agricultural products pursuant to the pilot program:(1) The hospital patient’s mood.
(2) The hospital patient’s duration of hospitalization.
(3) The hospital patient’s blood sugar level.
(b) Each grantee shall collect the following information:
(1) The grantee’s
average daily expenditures on food procurement and preparation.
(2) The grantee’s average daily income from meal purchases.
(3) The grantee’s method of outreach to farms and ranches.
(4) The grantee’s procurement agreements with farms, ranches, food hubs, and food distributors.
(c) On or before January 1, 2026, each grantee shall report the information described in subdivisions (a) and (b), with the information described in subdivision (a) reported in aggregated and deidentified form consistent with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191), to the office and the State Department of Public
Health.
49005.95.
(a) On or before January 1, 2027, the office, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, shall, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, submit to the Legislature a report on the pilot program that includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:(1) The use of grant moneys by grantees.
(2) The number of patients and meals served through the pilot program.
(3) The pilot program’s impact on patient outcomes.
(4) Any recommendations for future revisions to the
pilot program.
(b) The office may contract with a private entity for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of this section.
49005.99.
This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.