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Creates a USDA "Strengthening Local Food Security Program" that gives cooperative agreements to eligible local governments to purchase local and regional food and distribute it within their communities—especially to schools and hunger-relief organizations. The law defines who and what qualify, sets formulas and noncompetitive rules for awards, limits administrative spending, requires food-safety training and reporting, and authorizes funding for specified fiscal years.
Establishes the "Strengthening Local Food Security Program" (new Section 210B) under the Agricultural Marketing Act; the Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into cooperative agreements with eligible units of government to purchase food from local and regional covered producers and distribute that food within the eligible unit's geographic boundaries, including to hunger relief organizations and schools in certain federal meal programs.
Defines key terms used in the section: collaborator; covered producer (small or mid-sized, beginning, veteran, or underserved fisher/farmer/rancher); eligible unit of government (State agriculture/procurement/food distribution/emergency response agency, DC, Puerto Rico, USVI, Guam, Tribal government); partnership; Program; Secretary; and underserved community (limited access to affordable healthy foods and high hunger/poverty or high food insecurity).
The Secretary must carry out the Program for these purposes: (1) maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency and expand economic opportunities for covered producers; (2) promote food security; and (3) strengthen the food system for food banks, schools, and childcare institutions.
Cooperative agreements and funding are provided on a noncompetitive basis. Of annual appropriations for the Program, 10 percent must go to Tribal governments (using a Secretary-determined formula), then 1 percent to each State from the remaining amounts, and remaining amounts are allocated to eligible units (excluding Tribal governments) using the formula in section 214 of Public Law 98–8 (7 U.S.C. 7515). If an eligible unit has not submitted an application within 1 year after allocation, those amounts may be redistributed to other eligible units with capacity.
For allocation purposes, one or more eligible units of government described in subsection (a)(3)(A) within the same State shall be treated as a single eligible unit.
Who is affected and how:
Local governments: Directly benefit by receiving cooperative agreements to purchase and distribute local food, increasing their role in local food access programs; they must meet application, reporting, and food-safety requirements and adhere to administrative caps.
Farmers, ranchers, and local producers: Likely gain expanded and more stable local demand as public buyers purchase local/regional food, though producer eligibility rules may influence which farms qualify (size, processing, or safety standards).
Schools and hunger-relief organizations: Expected to receive more locally sourced food, potentially improving meal programs and food-bank offerings; they may see improved variety and increased freshness but could face logistical changes around delivery and storage.
USDA and administering agencies: Must implement, monitor, and report on the program, develop application reviews and award formulas, and enforce food-safety and administrative requirements—adding administrative workload.
Supply chain and processors: Aggregators, processors, and distributors that meet eligibility and safety requirements may capture new business; smaller producers may need access to aggregation/processing support to participate.
Potential benefits: strengthens local food economies, increases access to fresh food in schools and community programs, supports small and mid-sized producers, and can shorten supply chains.
Potential challenges: compliance and food-safety training costs, program administration burden on local governments and USDA, distribution logistics and storage needs, and possible exclusion of producers who cannot meet eligibility or paperwork requirements without additional support.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4458: 2)
Introduced July 17, 2025 by John F. Reed · Last progress July 17, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4458: 2)
Introduced in Senate