Eating organic food should not be a privilege; organic is for everyone.
Yet today, widespread economic inequality prevents many families from accessing organic. Income inequality is at its highest in California’s history, with a pay disparity almost double today what it was in 1980.
At the same time that communities struggle to afford food, California’s farmers struggle to stay in business. Farmers today receive only 18 cents for every dollar that consumers spend on food, compared to 40 years ago when farmers received 40 cents for each dollar spent. A majority of California’s farms operated with net losses in 2017, jeopardizing the future of sustainable food production.
If organic is truly for everyone, then all communities need equitable access to organic foods, and all organic farmers need fair compensation for producing organic foods.
Solving this two-pronged problem is not easy, but CCOF is stepping into the arena. Together with our members and our partners, we are working toward a shared vision where all communities have access to organic. We are proud to launch our new Organic for Everyone campaign to democratize access to organic food and improve the economic viability of organic farms by directing public funds towards California-grown organic foods.
Each year, California school districts spend $1.5 billion dollars to feed 4 million children, most of whom are low-income and students of color. This offers an important opportunity to leverage the significant buying power of schools to shift our food and farming system in a more equitable, more sustainable, and healthier direction.
CCOF wants to support organic farmers in accessing the school food marketplace because we know that small, organic, and historically underserved farms face barriers that make it extra challenging to sell to schools and other institutions.
Would you be willing to share 30 minutes of your time to discuss your experiences and ideas with us?
We want to hear from producers who have experience selling to schools or who are interested in entering the farm-to-school marketplace!
Please reach out to Laetitia Benador at lbenador@ccof.org or (831) 346-6339 to set up an interview, sign up for campaign updates, or to learn more!
Thank you for working with us to ensure that all California kids can eat healthy foods at school and that organic producers have the opportunity to access the farm-to-school marketplace.