On June 21st, farmers at the YMCA Youth Center in Birmingham, farm group leaders, Neighborhood Presidents, community activists, religious leaders, nonprofit advocates, Extension agents and others gathered to share information on efforts around the state and region to expand Alabama’s food access. The Food Summit 2008 was a hugh success and began a great step toward putting food on the table in Birmingham. Visit our blog for a great review from FoodRevival.com. You can also click here to read an article about the food summit from the Birmingham Weekly.

NEWS FROM THE FARM BILL

• The Food Stamp Program is renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and “food stamps” will now be called “supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits”.

• Supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits are now increased, indexed to inflation, and certain military payments, retirement accounts, and education accounts are excluded from income for the purposes of determining SNAP eligibility.

• A pilot program has been added to evaluate health and nutrition promotion in SNAP (Section 4141). The purpose of the program is to reduce overweight, obesity, and associated “co-morbidities” in the US among SNAP recipients, and will receive $20,000,000 in mandatory funding.

• Section 4303 establishes a Healthy Food Education and Program Replicability which would put hands-on vegetable gardening education into high-poverty schools. The provision does not mention funding.