OT: Please Support SB272-Home Kitchens bill today

[Guest guest]

This bill is an

attempt to restore traditional freedoms for neighbors to provide food for

neighbors.

The Farm Bureau,

Agri-business council, and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer

Services is lobbying today hard and heavy, according to reports from the

Capital. They are misinforming the legislators as to the content and intent of

the bill. Despite communication with the Farm Bureau lobbyist, resulting in

slight changes to reflect their concerns, they are still attacking the bill.

Let your voices as

consumers, home producers, and neighbors count. Contact your Senator today and

tomorrow, and especially contact each and every committee member to register

your voice.

***ACTION ALERT***

Please Support SB272—Home Kitchens bill

Call Senate Ag Committee

TODAY

BACKGROUND:

In 1993 Virginia

passed a law to regulate convenience stores that made sandwiches. The law

was misconstrued and applied--several years after passage--to home kitchens,

thus eliminating our food heritage of home-produced foods in church bake sales,

farmers markets and more. This bill rectifies that mistake and restores

common sense by making an exception from the law for inspections of home

kitchens selling to the final consumer foods like breads, jams, jellies,

pickles, etc...

Senator Creigh Deeds is the sponsor of SB272. This bill

might go to the Senate Ag Committee as early as Monday. We will post

updates.

ACTION: Please call all Senate Ag Committee members

today and ask them to SUPPORT SB272.

Please THANK Sen. Creigh Deeds for

sponsoring this bill.

Ag Committee members, Talking Points and link to bill below.

SENATE AG COMMITTEE

Member

Name

District

Party

Capitol

Office

Blevins, Harry B.

14

R

Deeds, R. Creigh

25

D

Hanger, Emmett W., Jr.

24

R

McDougle, T.

4

R

McEachin, A.

9

D

Northam, Ralph S.

6

D

Obenshain, Mark D.

26

R

sen, Chap

34

D

Puckett, P.

38

D

Reynolds, Wm. Roscoe

20

D

Ruff, M., Jr.

15

R

Stuart, H.

28

R

Ticer, S.

30

D

Watkins,

10

R

Whipple, Margaret

31

D

TALKING

POINTS:

1. Local/home-based food production and consumption supports

earned income in neighborhoods and communities.

2. The demand for local artisanal cottage-based food is growing

exponentially. People want alternatives to mass produced

food.

3. This growing desire for local food is stifled by laws requring

inspected home kitchens. People want to eat locally grown and produced

food. They are being denied access because of the misapplication of this

law. Church sales and farmers markets have been severely hurt.

4. Seasonal food production overages, including home garden

surpluses, can be used to bring in extra money by allowing neighbors to provide

for neighbors.

5. Labeling the product " Not for resale—processed and prepared

without state inspection " informs the consumer that is not inspected and

not to be resold.

6. Rural Virginians on low or fixed incomes historically counted

on these type items to bring in a little extra money. This bill is simply

the reasonable, right thing to do.

Link to

SB272:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?ses=081 & typ=bil & val=sb272 & Submit2=Go