In action Thursday, Feb. 13, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) introduced bipartisan legislation, the American Consumer Awareness of National Source (American CANS) Act, to protect local producers by making it easier for shoppers to distinguish local products from foreign ones. The American CANS Act requires that country-of-origin labels be clearly displayed on the front label or top of canned goods so shoppers aren’t left guessing about what they’re feeding their families.
The Central Valley is the fruit and nut basket of the world, producing 25 percent of the nation’s food, and Stockton was once home to one of the largest canneries in the country. But economic pressures and import competition have forced canning plants to close — in 2018, Seneca Foods shut down its Modesto peach canning plant, costing hundreds of jobs. Currently, noted Harder, shoppers have no way to know if their canned goods are coming from local producers or foreign suppliers.
“Families deserve to know if they’re buying peaches from down the road or from halfway around the world,” said Rep. Harder. “This bipartisan bill pushes back on the imported products that are flooding our shelves by giving shoppers the transparency they need to buy local and support their neighborhood farms.”
“As a cooperative association of over 150 family farmers, we appreciate Representative Harder’s understanding of the value of USA grown food,” said Matt Strong, President and CEO of Pacific Coast Producers. “The American CANS Act will help to educate consumers, school administrators, and health care institutions on the origin of products that they are purchasing for our families, our schools, and our hospitals and health care facilities by making the importing country clearly visible to consumers.”
In 2023 alone, Valley farmers produced 25,300 tons of peaches; 1,140 of pears; 16,800 of apples; 3,050 of apricots; and 912,000 tons of tomatoes, generating over $176 million for the local economy. This industry also supports 34,000 jobs; Harder went on to say that keeping those jobs strong starts with making sure consumers know where their food is coming from.
