Home food operations; certain exemptions for products. (HB1290)

Introduced By

Del. Rob Bell (R-Charlottesville) with support from co-patron Del. Tommy Wright (R-Victoria)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Home-produced or farm-produced food products. Exempts food products and food made from milk processed or prepared in private homes or farms from Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulations, so long as (i) the sale is made directly to end consumers and (ii) the product is labeled with the producer's name and address, the product's ingredients, and a disclosure statement indicating the product is not for resale and is processed and prepared without state inspection. The bill also exempts private homes or farms that meet the same conditions from examinations conducted by the State Health Commissioner of establishments in which crustacea, finfish, and shellfish are handled. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
10/16/2014Committee
10/16/2014Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/15 15100264D
10/16/2014Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
01/26/2015Assigned ACNRsub: Agriculture
01/26/2015Impact statement from DPB (HB1290)
02/02/2015Subcommittee recommends laying on the table
02/10/2015Left in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

Comments

Jolinda Smithson writes:

I support this bill. It's allowing farmers and home growers more ability to get their products to people locally and directly. Virginia needs this type of support for smaller food production operations to get fresh foods to the people that want and need them.

Daniel writes:

Please pass this bill. People are perfectly capable of making safe food and selling it to their neighbors and friends, and---with all due respect to the legislature---it's honestly none of the government's business if someone is selling a homemade dinner to someone else.

Kurt Grela writes:

Cocooker supports this bill. Cocooker helps hungry people find homemade food and homecooks find hungry people.

If your family has an award-winning pie recipe, why can't you sell pies out of your home to your neighbors?

If you make the city's best chili, why do your neighbors have to wait once a year to eat it?

Alicia writes:

Sorry Guys. I don't have a problem with home baked goods like chicken pot pies or even cheese or yogurt...and yes it is absurd that state inspector has to inspect my kitchen so my 13 year old can sell a cupcake to our neighbor.

BUT shellfish is serious illness issue. Can not support shellfish. Having been hospitalized and violently ill after consuming shellfish at a friend's bbq, I can not support shellfish in this bill.

Karen Gay writes:

Getting sick from food IS a serious concern. However, how can government prevent a person from eating one bad oyster? All oysters can't be checked, in fact, most people get sick from commercial foods that ARE Govt inspected. How is it that some people get ill from tainted mayonnaise and others don't? There is biological individuality in each of us and some people have healthier immune systems. Let's get Govt out of our home kitchens and let individuals decide whether to purchase food from in inspected kitchens.

Scoob writes:

Free the Farms!!!

Right Way Forward Virginia, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

Right Way Forward Virginia, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, libertarian grassroots advocacy organization, supports this bill. Burdensome regulations discourage farmers and food artisans from making a living by selling home-produced or farm-produced goods directly to the consumer. The Food Freedom Act will spur innovation in food and enable more Virginians to become entrepreneurs.