Sponsors (6)
The bill expands eligible program foods to include maple syrup, giving seniors more local fresh-food options and new sales for small syrup producers, while imposing modest additional costs and potential supply/logistics challenges for vendors and program budgets.
Seniors and other program beneficiaries will be able to receive locally produced maple syrup as an eligible fresh food item, increasing their access to more fresh/local foods.
Small/local maple syrup producers and rural agricultural sellers gain a new market through program purchases, potentially increasing sales and supporting rural incomes.
USDA administration is simplified by explicitly listing maple syrup as an eligible product, reducing ambiguity for program implementers and vendors.
Program budgets and taxpayers could face slightly higher costs if agencies or vendors purchase maple syrup at retail prices for beneficiaries.
Increased program-driven demand for maple syrup could create distribution or inventory challenges for farmers' markets and small vendors, causing supply mismatches in some areas.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds maple syrup to the list of example eligible foods for the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
Adds "maple syrup" to the statutory list of eligible fresh, locally grown foods in the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program so the Secretary of Agriculture may treat maple syrup as an example of an allowable product for the program. This change affects program administration, participating producers (including maple syrup producers), and senior beneficiaries by explicitly authorizing maple syrup as a listed eligible food item.
Official title: Amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include maple syrup under the seniors farmers' market nutrition program.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Peter Welch · Last progress January 9, 2025