| Hi Friend,
Last month, Senate Bill (SB) 2269 passed the Senate with some amendments. The hearing for SB 2269 is set for the House Agriculture Committee for 9:00 AM Friday, March 22nd in the State Capitol. SB 2269 as it stands 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!
Thanks to North Dakota Food Freedom for publicizing opposition to this bill. |
| | | | TAKE ACTION #1
Please write an email to each member of the House Ag Committee. Below is the list of committee members. To see more info about each person, please visit this webpage.
Give your name and the town you live in, and ask the House Representative to carry an amendment to the bill. 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 about possible amendments you'd like to see. Note: Usually we suggest that readers only contact their own lawmakers of which they're constituents, but this is a special case.
House Ag Committee Members:
Dennis Johnson (Chairman)
djohnson@nd.gov
Wayne A. Trottier (Vice Chairman)
wtrottier@nd.gov
Jake G. Blum
jblum@nd.gov
Ruth Buffalo
rbuffalo@nd.gov
Gretchen Dobervich
gdobervich@nd.gov
Jay Fisher
jayfisher@nd.gov
Craig Headland
cheadland@nd.gov
Dwight Kiefert
dhkiefert@nd.gov
Aaron McWilliams
amcwilliams@nd.gov
David Richter
dwrichter@nd.gov
Bernie Satrom
blsatrom@nd.gov
Cynthia Schreiber-Beck
cschreiberbeck@nd.gov
Kathy Skroch
kskroch@nd.gov
Bill Tveit
btveit@nd.gov |
| | TAKE ACTION #2
If you're able to attend the hearing for SB 2269, it is set for 9 AM Friday, March 22nd in:
Brynhild Haugland Room
State Capitol
600 E Boulevard Ave
Bismarck, ND 58505 [directions]
Look for signs in case the hearing gets moved to another room. Visitors to the Capitol may only enter through the South and East doors. Please allow extra time to park and pass through security.
If you’d like to testify, LeAnn from North Dakota Food Freedom is coordinating people’s testimony and can be reached through www.ndfoodfreedom.com
Please share this alert with others in North Dakota. You can find the link for this alert at www.farmtoconsumer.org/actionalerts |
| | | 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. For instance, beverages and non-acidic canned fruits and vegetables prepared in home kitchens would be banned for sale or restricted. Last month, the bill passed the Senate with amendments and is now on to the House.
SB 2269 would largely BAN the sale of:
- Any drink products. No juices, lemonade at farmers markets, etc.
- 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).
- Cut leafy greens and most other fresh cut fruits and vegetables, unless dehydrated or frozen.
The legislation would require:
- Additional labeling, including specific handling instructions.
- Specific moisture levels for dehydrated food.
The bill would also open the door for local health departments to begin inspecting fresh fruit sold to restaurants.
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.
See more info about SB 2269 HERE.
Here’s a copy of the amended bill that passed the Senate last month.
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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. |
| www.farmtoconsumer.org | 703-208-FARM (3276) | info@farmtoconsumer.org |
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