Food safety has become a critical issue over the past few years with the most recent peanut butter recall causing lawmakers to strengthen laws to protect consumers.
But in the process, there’s been much chatter this past week regarding how several food safety bills — notably senate bill 425 — impact local farmers, CSAs, and small organic farms. One blogger who has studied the bill says aside from the threat to CSAs and organic farms, small, backyard farm plots would be subject to fines if the bill was passed into law.
The interpretation of any proposed law is tricky and the implications are hard to guess. What’s important, though, is that lawmakers carefully read the bill to make a sound choice. Consumers should also weigh in on the topic. A good place to start is this blog by Sacred Lotus Photography, which has links to the proposed law. I’ll also continue to poke around and see what others are saying, and if you run into anything that’s related, please let us know.
— Arthur Zaczkiewicz
Here’s a link to an editorial from a newspaper in Conn. regarding the bill’s impact on farmers markets and small farms.