Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has less than one week to sign or veto the “Home-Consumption and Homemade Food Act” that sailed through the state legislature with only seven dissenting votes. The Utah Food Act is not another “Food Freedom” law because its protections do not apply to raw milk or raw dairy products, meat or… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: The Food Safety News list of the year’s most significant news is compiled annually by our writers and editors. The list for 2017 is not led by any one or two blockbuster food safety stories, but it also won’t be quickly forgotten. It was a year when there was finally a climax to… Continue Reading
Opinion
On only a half dozen occasions, has Food Safety News published articles resembling “book reviews.” For various reasons, we are not really in that business. Sometimes, however, books merit mentions in the news. That’s what happened recently when author Baylen J. Linnekin’s comments made news stories about the Maine Food Freedom law. Before those stories,… Continue Reading
Maine earlier this month amended its newly adopted food freedom law to make it clear that local governments must “comply with state and federal laws when developing ordinances for meat and poultry production and sales.” The legislative action avoids, for the moment, any possibility that the state’s law recognizing local food sovereignty could backfire and… Continue Reading
The Maine Legislature will meet in special session on Nov. 1 to fix the state’s recently adopted food sovereignty law. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is prepared to take over all meat and poultry inspections in the state if the lawmakers fail to enact and amendment. Maine Gov. Paul LePage called the emergency special session in… Continue Reading
Two bills, one to enact a “Food Freedom” statute and the other to continue only pasteurized milk sales, followed a similar course during the recently completed session of the North Dakota Legislature in Bismarck. Both bills were signed into law. One was not exactly the price of passing the other, but the sponsor of the “Food… Continue Reading
A Missouri state legislator wants to give people the right to sell farm-produced products directly to the consumer without any interference from state or local regulatory agencies. House Bill 866 is similar to the fast-moving Wyoming “Food Freedom Act,” which unanimously passed the House in Cheyenne late last month and is now in line for… Continue Reading
Since 2010, there have been waves of bills involving food and food safety washing through state capitals on subjects such as cottage foods, agricultural security, raw milk, and labeling food products containing genetically modified ingredients. The 2015 legislative sessions underway in 47 of the 50 states are different. In this second part of our look… Continue Reading