California School District Halts Chinese Peach Purchases

Sacramento City Unified School District has ceased future purchases of canned peaches, pears, and applesauce from China after the California Canning Peach Association raised concerns and cited the Buy American provisions of the National School Lunch Act.

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The Buy American provisions of the National School Lunch Act provide federal guidance on school food purchases and were created to ensure the American agricultural industry, and the jobs it creates, are supported through the purchase of U.S. products. As such, food products should be domestically sourced where possible.

Further, California food and fiber are grown with care for the environment. This includes a commitment to emissions reductions critical to tackling climate change, which is a significant priority for Governor Brown and the state Legislature. California farmers also prioritize food worker safety, and pesticide use is strictly regulated. The same cannot be said of many other nations.

Recently, Sacramento City Unified School District purchased canned peaches and other fruit from China. This is troubling to the Agricultural Council of California, of which the California Canning Peach Association is a member, given that California farmers grow nearly 100% of the domestic peaches that are canned or sold in plastic packages.

Rich Hudgins, chief executive officer of the California Canning Peach Association, as well as Rep. John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), raised concerns about the purchases in separate letters to the school district citing the Buy American provisions and other issues. The letters led to a newspaper article published in the Sacramento Bee.

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The school district has stopped future fruit purchases from China. However, concerns remain about whether other districts have purchased imported products, particularly fruit, vegetables and nuts, which are grown locally in California.

The lack of transparency regarding school district food purchases from China, a country not known for being a pillar of food safety, is certainly an issue. Clearly, many parents would like to be made aware of such purchases since the food is part of their child’s diet.

The council is working with elected leaders on further steps to help ensure better monitoring and enforcement of the Buy American provisions for schools here in California.

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Avatar for Edie Pettis Edie Pettis says:

About time somebody woke up. Now we need to be sure it is mandatory to disclose where food is grown AND processed.

Avatar for hr moore hr moore says:

The California canning peach association is one of the group’s that forced schools to source outside the United States starting two years ago when they ran out of fruit. It was interesting that at the end of the school year when this started there was a surpus left if you were willing to pay the price. Interesting how things work out.

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