FOOD PROCESSORS TAKE AIM AT AB 32 AT FRESNO LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING

On Tuesday, October 18, the Legislative Rural Caucus held a legislative briefing at the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce. The informational briefing focused on the impacts of AB 32 Climate Change Regulations on the Ag economy and food processors and jobs in the Valley. Invited to speak were three San Joaquin Valley food processors, Marian Balster, Director of Environmental Management and sustainable development program manager for OLAM Spices and Vegetable Ingredients, Mona Shulman, Vice President and General Council for Pacific Coast Producers, and Ben Curti, a Tulare County dairyman and board member of Land O’ Lakes as well as CA Air Resources Board Member Dorene D’Adamo.
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CARB ADOPTS UNFINISHED CAP-AND-TRADE REGULATION

On October 20, 2011 the California Air Resources Board unanimously adopted the final cap-and-trade regulation, despite hours of public testimony from business and industry regarding the incompleteness of the regulation. The cap-and-trade program joins the other emissions reducing measures including standards for ultra-clean cars, low-carbon fuels and renewable electricity. The Board also approved an adaptive management plan to closely monitor the effect of the program on localized air quality and forests, in particular.
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OPPOSITION BUILDS REGARDING USDA SCHOOL LUNCH PROPOSAL

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed that the rules regarding the federal school lunch program be revised to limit the servings of frozen and fresh starchy vegetables to one cup per week and to eliminate the use of these vegetables in the federal school breakfast program. The vegetables would include potatoes, corn, peas, lima beans and other starchy vegetables. USDA proposed this measure as part of an effort to address childhood obesity, and was especially focused on the use of frozen French fries and other frozen potato products in school lunches. Critics of this proposal note that starchy vegetables can be an important source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and provide variety in school meals. The range of dietary changes proposed by USDA, including increased emphasis on serving fresh rather than processed food, will increase the costs incurred by schools by about 50 cents per breakfast and 14 cents for lunch. Recent increases in federal funding for the school lunch program will not be sufficient to cover these increases. Some schools are also concerned about the increased emphasis on fresh produce because there may be limited affordable choices in the winter, there is more product shrink than with canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, and fresh produce requires more cafeteria labor to handle and prepare.
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DUE PROCESS AT THE STATE WATER BOARD

The ailing economy has made regulatory reform a top priority for the Legislature. At the end of the 2011 Regular Session, the Legislature passed a regulatory reform bill that was signed by the Governor. The measure reforms the regulatory process by requiring an economic analysis of all major regulations at the beginning of the regulatory process, thus providing more transparency and better data on which to base selection of the most cost-effective regulatory alternative.
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CALIFORNIA TRANSPARENCY IN SUPPLY CHAINS ACT

The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (SB 657, Steinberg), was enacted in 2010 and goes into effect January 1, 2012. The intent of this Act is to ensure large retailers and manufacturers provide consumers with information regarding their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains, and to educate consumers on how to purchase goods produced by companies that responsibly manage their supply chains, thereby improving the lives of victims of slavery and human trafficking.
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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - EXPO & SHOWCASE OF PROCESSED FOODS

Centrally located, unique and geared specifically to California's food processing industry, the CLFP Expo & Showcase of Processed Foods will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center on January 31 & February 1, 2012.
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