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CDCR seeks more food funding and a one‑time payment to meet California‑grown purchase requirements
Summary
CDCR told the subcommittee its per‑person food funding lags actual costs and requested ongoing baseline increases plus one‑time funds to meet a 60 percent California‑grown procurement requirement; officials said they currently average about $3.40 per person per day in funded authority but actual costs exceed that level.
CDCR asked the committee for $32.1 million ongoing to update its baseline food funding methodology and for a one‑time $5 million allocation in 2025‑26 to comply with a statutory requirement that state institutions purchase at least 60 percent California‑grown agricultural products by calendar year 2025.
Lance Eshelman, CDCR food administrator, told the committee that the department’s funded meal rate is about $3.40 per person per day but that actual costs have risen and the department is currently covering a funding shortfall. He used eggs as an example, saying that when menu adjustments are requested “if we receive $4.45, that’s 37% of the cost to serve those eggs,” and that inflation, supply‑chain changes and higher food prices make maintaining palatable, nutritionally balanced menus difficult within current authority.
Eshelman said CDCR staff consult an “incarcerated advisory committee” and receive menu feedback; staff aim to keep meals “something that we would consume ourselves.” The department also said security and other operational factors limit on‑site agriculture at institutions, although some stakeholders have proposed expanded institutional gardening programs in other contexts.
The committee asked CDCR for more detail on how the California‑grown requirement will be implemented and requested a cost analysis after initial purchases. Department of Finance had no further comments during the hearing.
Ending: The subcommittee asked CDCR to provide more detailed menu‑level cost data and proposed methodology for implementing the California‑grown procurement requirement in time for the May revision.
