California FAIR Plan Options and Food Loss & Waste Funding

**Some farmers and property owners who rely on the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, may soon have better coverage options.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to improve commercial property insurance options for people who’ve struggled with coverage for wildfire damage.

Farmers suffered a double blow, losing crops and farm properties to fires, as well as the ability to ensure assets

as insurance companies denied renewals.

They say more fixes are needed.

**The USDA announced an additional $25 million investment to expand efforts to prevent and reduce food loss and waste.

The investment, funded under the American Rescue Plan Act, is part of a joint agency initiative between USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist.

In the U.S., over one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste.

**Apples are a fall staple.

However, new data from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows a majority of apples are used in juices.

In 2021, 45.9 pounds of apples per person were available for domestic consumption, according to USDA’s Food Availability data product.

52% of those available apples, 23.7 pounds per person, was in the form of juice or cider, about two gallons per person.

Fresh apples accounted for 34%, 15.8 pounds per person.