Bill > HR6697

This bill, titled the "Expanding Access To Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act" or "EAT Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act," amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow states to use federal funds to purchase agricultural products directly from eligible local entities for distribution to those in need. An "eligible entity" is defined as a small business that is a grower, packer, processor, distributor, food-hub, or cooperative, particularly those that are underserved, women-owned, veteran-owned, or source from beginning or small/mid-sized family farms. These entities must be able to deliver "priority agricultural products"—which include fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, seafood, grains, and poultry that are culturally or religiously relevant to the local community—to emergency feeding organizations. The bill authorizes $200 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for these state-led projects, aiming to improve food supply chain resilience, provide food to the needy, and foster relationships between states, local producers, and food banks. Additionally, it mandates the creation of a working group within the Department of Agriculture to review and improve how the department procures agricultural products to better support a wider range of producers and distributors while advancing goals related to nutrition security, access to culturally relevant foods, resilient food systems, rural job creation, and reversing the concentration of agricultural resource ownership.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6697/all-info