Two years into suing the State of Montana over food safety gaps, Jeffrey P. Havens has learned that state District Court Judge Christopher D. Abbott has dismissed his case “with
The First Judicial District Court in Montana is the venue for the ongoing dispute that pits a former state commercial food safety officer against several assistant attorney generals. It may
By Doug Farquhar
State legislatures introduced more than 350 bills related to food safety during the 2025 legislative sessions, with 73 being enacted as of August 2025.
General food safety
Jeffrey P. Havens, the former president of the Montana Environmental Health Association, is an expert in food safety who is relatively new to the legal arena. Michael D. Russell, an
About half the states have adopted so-called “Food Freedom” laws in the past few years. These laws generally recognize the right of individuals to produce and sell homemade foods without
— OPINION —
I was excited last week when Doug Farquhar, the National Environmental Health Association’s government affairs director, presented the final report on State Legislative actions for 2024.
I want
Editor’s Note: Thirty years ago, hundreds of reporters were assigned to cover State Legislatures, and competing wire services tracked everything. Today’s corporate entertainment media sees all that as
The Colorado General Assembly has its own routines. One allows a bill to change its spots.
Take SB24-026, for example. It was one of the first bills heard during the
Montana’s First Judicial District Court is being asked to review the state Legislature’s “Food Freedom” bills enacted in 2021 and 2023. The legislation is known as the “Montana
— OPINION —
When do dark kitchens need the sanitizing light of local consumer safety oversight?
Never, according to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Republican, and Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson. This is the
Like taking a new car in for repairs while it is still under warranty, the Montana Local Food Choice Act of 2021 will be getting renewed attention during the 2023
