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Hi Friend,
On April 17th, the conference committee voted to send a new version of SB 2269 to the House and Senate for concurrence. The new version removes low acid canned foods and greatly restricts refrigerated items. Senate Bill (SB) 2269 as it's written now would restrict the Food Freedom Act passed in North Dakota two years ago and make it harder for cottage food producers to sell many of their goods.
Please see action steps below and share this alert with your friends and family in North Dakota! You can find the link for this alert at www.farmtoconsumer.org/actionalerts
Thanks to North Dakota Food Freedom for publicizing opposition to this bill. |
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| TAKE ACTION #1
Please write an email to your own House Representatives. Find out who represents you HERE.
Act now! The House could vote on this as early as 8 a.m. Friday, April 19!
Give your name and the town you live in, and ask the House Representatives to get a Do Not Concur on the conference report for SB 2269. If you have time, add a sentence or two about why this issue is important to you. See More Information, below, for some talking points that you can use. |
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TAKE ACTION #2
If you have time, please also email all North Dakota House members or at least the ones who represent any region that may affect you (for instance if you live in one district but sell or buy cottage foods at the farmers' market in another district).
To see a list of all House members and their districts, go HERE. |
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| MORE INFORMATION
Two years ago, North Dakota lawmakers passed the Food Freedom Act. The law allows producers to sell almost any food directly to consumers without licensing and inspection (except meat, meat products, and raw dairy products). The local food scene in the state is flourishing in part thanks to the Food Freedom Act. The state reports no illnesses that have been associated with the law.
But the Food Freedom Act is under attack by some North Dakota lawmakers. If Senate Bill 2269 (SB 2269) passes as it currently reads, much of the freedom built into the Food Freedom Act could be lost. The new version removes low acid canned foods and greatly restricts refrigerated items.
SB 2269 would largely BAN the sale of:- Refrigerated foods (i.e., fruit salad or cream pies) unless they are transported frozen—even if freezing them would harm the quality—or the buyer picks up from the seller’s home.
- Canned fruits or vegetables that are non-acidic (i.e., canned beans or beets).
Talking Points:
- How would this bill affect you? Why do you want to be able to choose to access or sell cottage foods as the current law stands?
- In the two years since the passing of the North Dakota Food Freedom Act, there have not been any reported foodborne illness outbreaks related to these cottage foods.
- If passed as written, SB 2269 would decrease possible income sources for many rural North Dakota residents who cannot afford to buy or rent a commercial kitchen and remove a key source of high-quality North Dakota food for local communities.
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DONATE
If you’d like to make a donation to support the work of Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund to bring you these informative legislative updates and work to improve state laws, please donate HERE. |
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www.farmtoconsumer.org | 703-208-FARM (3276) | info@farmtoconsumer.org |
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