| Hi Friend,
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, much of the freedom built into the Food Freedom Act could be lost. For instance, beverages, foods containing poultry, and non-acidic canned fruits and vegetables prepared in home kitchens would be banned for sale or restricted.
Please take action today! Share this alert with your friends and family in North Dakota!
Thanks to North Dakota Food Freedom for publicizing opposition to this bill.
-FTCLDF Team
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| | | | TAKE ACTION #1
Call or email your State Senator and urge him or her to OPPOSE SB 2269. You can look up who represents you in the Senate HERE.
Remember, calls are far more effective than emails, and they can take just a couple of minutes! Keep your call or email short, polite, and clear—you can simply give your name, identify yourself as a constituent, and ask the Senator to OPPOSE 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.
This bill has been referred to the Senate Ag Committee. There is no hearing date set at this time.
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| | TAKE ACTION #2
If you’d like to testify when the bill has a committee hearing, LeAnn from North Dakota Food Freedom is working to coordinate people’s testimony and can be reached through www.ndfoodfreedom.com |
| | MORE INFORMATION
SB 2269 would BAN the sale of:
1. Any drink products. No juices, lemonade, etc.
2. Refrigerated foods (i.e., fruit salad or cream pies) unless they are transported frozen—even if freezing them would harm the quality.
3. Foods containing poultry (although raw poultry would still be allowed under the 1,000-bird exemption).
4. Canned fruits or vegetables that are non-acidic (i.e., canned beans or beets).
6. 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.
- Eggs to be kept refrigerated.
- 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, 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 |
| www.farmtoconsumer.org | 703-208-FARM (3276) | info@farmtoconsumer.org |
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