BILL NUMBER: S7674

SPONSOR: KLEIN
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in
relation to the expansion of regional farmers' markets

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To encourage, by statute, the Department of Agriculture and Markets to
help facilitate the establishment and expansion of regional farmers'
markets. These regional markets could help to promote the sale of whole-
some locally grown fruits and vegetables on a bulk volume or wholesale
basis. One of the purposes of this bill is to establish a more inte-
grated approach to help promote healthier life-styles and consumption of
fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. This bill should facilitate the
supply of such wholesome fruits and vegetables on a bulk basis to local
supermarkets, restaurants, and grocery stores, especially those located
in "food deserts". In addition, this bill, by facilitating the supply of
such wholesome fruits and vegetables, especially in urban markets that
lack easy access to a ready supply of such healthy produce at reasonable
price (i.e. food deserts) can help to promote healthier life-styles and
help to combat obesity conditions.
              

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends Agriculture and Markets Law section 284 to encourage
the Department to promote the development and facilitate the establish-
ment and expansion of regional farmers' markets to promote the direct
marketing of healthy locally produced farm and food products on a whole-
sale or bulk sales basis to large volume purchasers of such farm and
food products. Such regional farmers' markets should be, whenever possi-
ble, located in areas that have poor consumer access to high quality and
reasonably priced food and farm products (i.e. food deserts). The
financing mechanism is via the already existing section 16-m of the New
York State Urban Development Corporation Act and Article five-D of the
Economic Development Law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The purpose of this bill is to help promote healthier live-styles by
providing some assistance to help establish or expand existing regional
farmers' markets in those areas of the state that have poor consumer
access to high quality and reasonably priced fresh food and farm
products. This is especially the case for those areas that are in "food
deserts". This bill should also help New York State's farmers in that it
will create a new market for their agricultural products. The targeted
farmers' markets to be created would be regional markets that would
facilitate the marketing and sale of such foods, on a large scale, at
the wholesale and bulk level. In addition, the establishment of such
regional farmers' markets will increase the access of such fresh foods
to local supermarkets and restaurant that sell or prepare food in such
"food deserts".

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.