ASSEMBLY STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION No. 229

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: DECEMBER 4, 2025

      The Assembly State and Local Government Committee reports favorably Assembly Joint Resolution No. 229.

     This joint resolution recognizes the right to adequate food.  The right to adequate food includes, but is not limited to:

· the satisfaction of nutritional needs;

· food availability;

· physical access to food;

· economic access to food;

· the acceptability and cultural relevance of foods, considering the non-nutrition related values associated with food and food consumption, and the well-founded concerns of consumers about the nature of the foods available;

· sustainability;

· food sovereignty; and

· access to, and the availability and sanitation of, water for use by individuals for personal and domestic consumption and for the production of food in a sufficient, healthy, acceptable, and affordable manner.

     Pursuant to the joint resolution, the right to adequate food is not to be construed as providing the basis for, or subject to, a private right of action for violations of the resolution or any other law.

     The joint resolution also encourages State, county, and municipal entities to take certain actions.  In particular, the joint resolution encourages State entities to:

· promote, respect, and protect the exercise of the right to adequate food, in accordance with the principles of universality, interdependence, indivisibility, progressiveness, subsidiarity, environmental sustainability, precautionary principle, social participation, gender and age equality, the best interests of children, cultural diversity, efficiency, free competition, transparency, and accountability; and

· prioritize the needs of underdeveloped communities, including the ability of underdeveloped communities to grow food.

     Under the joint resolution, every State, county, and municipal entity is encouraged to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture to prioritize policies and programs that:

· help New Jersey farmers better access the commercial food market in this State;

· help New Jersey farmers make farming a sustainable lifestyle; and

· contribute to growing the number of new farmers in the State.