Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act Gains Momentum

Date: 02.23.2010 | Category: News Feed

by FarmPlate

Wyoming’s proposed House Bill 54 known as the Wyoming Food Freedom Act could exempt food producers selling “cottage foods,” or foods prepared in home kitchens, from state licenses, certifications and inspections when selling directly to consumers. Sue Wallis, a Republican member of the Wyoming State House of Representatives is sponsoring the bill.

Last year, Wallis worked to pass state legislation that made it legal to sell non-hazardous home-produced foods like jams, cookies and bread at farmers’ markets and stands in Wyoming without regulation. The bill was enacted on July 1, 2009. Prior to that date, homemade foods made in a non-licensed kitchen could only be sold at church or charity events.

The proposed Wyoming Food Freedom Act would no longer ban potentially hazardous foods, including dairy, canned foods and sauces, produced in uninspected, non-licensed kitchens from being sold direct to consumers.

Those in favor of the Wyoming Food Freedom Act say it will make it possible for small farmers and food producers to sell direct to consumers without allocating the disproportionate amount of capital required to get proper certifications—a financial burden that can put small farmers and food producers out of business.

Others say the bill poses great risk to the consumer. Bob Harrington, the Casper-Natrona county health department executive director told the Casper Journal that without being able to inspect the kitchens where food is being prepared, the customer is no longer safeguarded against problems arising from unmonitored personal hygiene standards and the level of cleanliness of the environment in which the food is prepared.

William Marler, a food safety advocate and attorney addressed Wallis in a tongue-in-cheek blog on the Huffington Post: “How did you know that I did not have enough work suing Cargill, Nestle, Con Agra, McDonald’s, Peanut Corporation of America, Kellogg, Dole, Nebraska Beef, Whole Foods, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, etc., in food poisoning cases . . . this Bill will be a big help for my struggling business and certainly allow me to spend more time in Wyoming suing those exempt producers, who, unlicensed, uninspected and uncertified are bound to poison their customers.”

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle spoke to Lynn Birleffi of the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association who makes the point, “Health officials also can track the source of food-borne illnesses when people get sick at a restaurant versus an unregulated food stand.”  But Wallis made the counter-argument, “buying produce directly from the person who grew it is a much shorter line to track.”

On February 19, the Wyoming Food Freedom Act passed out of a committee with a 6-3 vote. The bill will move to the floor of the Wyoming House of Representatives for discussion.

More National News

Feb. 19: Japan will not ban bluefin tuna in conjunction with the United Nations treaty on endangered species. New York Times

Feb. 19: The Obama Administration launched the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which dedicates $400 million to bringing supermarkets to areas that have lacked healthy food resources. Reuters

Feb. 22: The American Academy of Pediatrics is advocating for choking warning labels on food packaging to protect children. Washington Post

Regional News

Feb. 22: Vermonters have gathered to protest the operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until the source of the plant’s leak is found. Vermont Public Radio

Feb. 21: Burlington’s City Market Co-op installed solar panels on its roof to offset the market’s carbon footprint. Burlington Free Press

Feb. 18: Vermont restaurants The Kitchen Table Bistro, Hen of the Wood, and Bluebird Tavern were announced as semi-finalists for the James Beard Foundation awards. James Beard Foundation

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