Cottage Foods Reform passed its second committee UNANIMOUSLY this week. HOORAY!!!
HOWEVER, despite HB 1322 having passed with no opposition, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Casey Crabtree (R-Madison) refused to place the bill on the consent (non-debate) calendar, due to an apparent political disagreement with our prime sponsor on a totally unrelated bill.
In fact, Senator Crabtree hinted that our bill might be hoghoused during Monday’s Senate floor debate—that is, stripped of its language and used as a vehicle for some other piece of legislation.
YOUR VOICE IS CRITICAL NOW to CONTACT SENATORS in support of Cottage Foods Reform!!!
Find Senate Contact Info HERE, or plan to show up at your local cracker barrel or legislative coffee this weekend and ask your State Senator to support HB 1322.
HB 1322 makes a number of positive changes for food entrepreneurs in the state, including:
- Allows for a broader range of homemade food products to be sold direct to consumers, including fermented foods, kuchen, pesto, and frozen fruits & vegetables;
- Gives producers the ability to make safe recipe variations based on what is in seasonal supply, rather than being required to certify each alteration through a 3rd Party Processing Authority;
- Provides a convenient online food safety training (renewal every 5 years) that allows for sale of the full range of foods under the law;
- Preserves the ability to sell shelf stable baked goods with no additional licensing requirements; AND,
- Removes requirement for 3rd Party Processing Authority certification of canned foods, BUT allows producers to continue selling under that system if they so choose
Many states have updated their cottage food laws in recent years, making South Dakota’s current law on selling homemade foods direct to consumers much more restrictive than that of our neighboring states.
HB 1322, the result of statewide collaboration between producers, market managers, and consumer groups has received UNANIMOUS SUPPORT from House and Senate Committees, as well as on the House floor.
ACT NOW: Ask your Senators to support food entrepreneurship in South Dakota by passing HB 1322!
Questions about the bill? Contact Rebecca Terk at (605) 697-5204 x260 or email rebeccat@dakotarural.org
Thank YOU for Taking Action!