Dear Friend,
Last week, Maine voters said yes to the constitutional amendment establishing a constitutional “Right to Food.” The measure added language to the state constitution providing that individuals have a “natural, inherent, and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce, and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health, and well-being, as long as an individual does not commit trespassing, theft, poaching, or other abuses of private property rights, public lands, or natural resources in the harvesting, production, or acquisition of food.”
This is a first in the United States. We expect that the amendment will ensure that individuals, homesteaders, and farmers have greater control over their own food systems.
Opponents to the amendment included the Maine Farm Bureau and the Maine Dairy Industry Association, both arguing that the language is vague and fails to ensure food safety. However, there is no greater food safety motivator than for local growers to sell directly to their customers. After all, it’s much easier to trace 50 bags of lettuce sold at one farmers market, if need be, than a million bags distributed to hundreds of restaurants and stores.
FTCLDF applauds those who worked so hard on the passage of this amendment.
Outreach & Communications Coordinator |
