Policy Updates
See below for the latest updates to Policy.
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Rule Change Allows Food Producers to Process Low-Risk Foods in Home Kitchens
Post Date: Thursday, October 22nd, 2009On October 6, 2009 the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board approved a rule change that will allow certain products to be processed in home kitchens for sale at farmers’ markets, farm stands and other direct to the consumer venues. The rule change was proposed by the NM Farmers’ Marketing Association, the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council and Farm to Table. These groups worked closely with the NM Environment Department to develop a rule that would protect public health while making it easier for small-scale food producers.
Home-based food processors will be required to obtain a permit from the Environment Department. To do so, they will need to attend a food safety training, develop an operational plan, have their kitchen inspected and pay a $100 annual fee. It will take several months for the Environment Department to get this program up and running, so stay tuned for updates and resources. For more information on the rule change, please contact Ilana Blankman of Farm to Table at 505-473-1004 x 12 or ilana.blankman@gmail.com.
Topics: Policy Updates |
Hearing on Proposed Rule Change to Allow Small-Scale Food Producers to Use Home Kitchens
Post Date: Friday, September 4th, 2009In response to requests from numerous producers and farmers’ market vendors, the NM Farmers’ Marketing Association has partnered with the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council and Farm to Table to petition for a rule change that would allow people to prepare certain foods in their home kitchen for sale direct to consumers. Currently, the rules enforced by the state Environment Department require that anyone who is selling processed foods prepare those foods in a commercial kitchen.
The costs of building and equipping a commercial kitchen are generally too high for small-scale food producers to afford, and many potential rural food producers do not have easy access to a rental commercial kitchen. At the same time, we believe that small-scale food processing provides an important entrepreneurial opportunity as well as an opportunity for consumers to purchase locally produced foods. Food processing can also add value to farm products.
While existing rules are intended to protect the safety of consumers, we believe that it is possible for food producers to prepare foods safely at home, under certain conditions. While final details continue to be worked out, the proposed rule would allow food producers to produce non-potentially hazardous foods (like baked goods, high sugar jams and jellies, and dry mixes) in their home kitchens. The home processors would only be allowed to sell these products direct to the consumer, for example at a farmers’ market, on-farm stand, or holiday fair. Before selling the product, the home processor would need to attend a food safety training, apply for a permit and have an inspection from the Environment Department. Home processors would likely be required to pay a fee, but the specific amount has yet to be determined.
The proposed rule change will be heard by the Environment Improvement Board, an official state board that has the authority to change the New Mexico Administrative Code. The hearing will occur on October 5 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Public comment is welcome at the hearing. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Ilana Blankman, Farm to Table, at 505-473-1004×12 or ilana.blankman@gmail.com
Topics: Meetings, Policy Updates |
Legislature 2009: Briefing Sheets
Post Date: Monday, January 19th, 2009The NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council has identified three priorities for the 2009 State Legislature which begins on January 20th. These priorities are:
- New Mexico Grown Produce in School Lunches: requests $3.3 million to the Dept of Agriculture to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for school lunches, New Mexico grown when available. The requested funding would allow school food service buyers to provide two additional servings of fresh fruits/vegetables to the 180,000 NM schoolchildren that currently participate in school lunches, most of whom come from low-income families. The program would not only help children to develop lifelong healthy eating habits, but also would provide much needed revenue to farmers and rural communities. For each dollar spent buying food directly from farmers, at least $1.80 recirculates in the local economy.
- Access to Healthy Foods Act: requests $200,000 for pilot projects to develop storage, refrigeration and distribution infrastructure needed to increase access to healthy foods in rural and underserved communities. More than one third of NM’s counties have low or very low food access (meaning nearly everyone has to travel more that 10 miles to the nearest grocery store). This bill would help to improve food access and provide economic development opportunities in the communities that need it most.
- A proposal to change the anti-donation clause to allow for economic development assistance to be provided to small and medium-sized food retail outlets.
Further information on the first two priorities is included in our briefing sheets. Click on the title to download:
Briefing Sheet–NM Grown Produce in School Meals
Briefing Sheet: Access to Healthy Foods
For more information on these and other Policy Council priorities during the legislative session, please email us.
If you are interested in helping to advocate for these bills, take a look at Farm to Table’s Farm to Table’s Action Guide, Legislature 2009.
Topics: Policy Updates, Take Action |
New Publication: Good News For Local Foods in the Farm Bill
Post Date: Monday, December 22nd, 2008The 2008 Farm Bill had lots of great new programs to help producers and food-related community organizations, now it’s up to us to take advantage of these funding opportunities to build our local food system. To help you figure out which of these programs may benefit you or your organization, we’ve created a brief guide. Click here to download Good News For Local Foods in the Farm Bill.
Topics: Policy Updates, Resources & Publications |
New Publication: Report to the Governor on Closing New Mexico’s Food Gap
Post Date: Monday, December 22nd, 2008This month, the NM Food Gap Task Force presented its report, Closing New Mexico’s Food Gap, to Governor Richardson, Lt. Governor Denish and the NM State Legislature. The Task Force was convened as a result of the passage of House Joint Memorial 10 in 2007 which called on the Governor to appoint a task force to study challenges to food access in the state and to provide recommendations to increase the ability of all New Mexicans to access healthy, affordable and culturally significant foods. The Task Force was composed of representatives of the Departments of Health, Human Services, Agriculture, Transportation, Aging and Long-Term Services, and Indian Affairs as well as representatives from the NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council, the Mid-Region Council of Governments and Legal Aid. The Task Force met monthly from July through November to study the issue and develop the report.
Click here to read the Executive Summary.
Click here to download the Full Report.
Topics: Policy Updates, Resources & Publications |
Funding Opportunities and Other Good News from the 2008 Farm Bill
Post Date: Thursday, September 18th, 2008After many months of grueling deliberation and a veto override, the 2008 Farm Bill has become law, and with some good news for small-scale, minority and alternative farmers. For many years, the Farm Bill has largely dedicated the majority of the USDA’s resources to providing subsidies and other support to large-scale commodity agriculture. While there is still plenty of this in the 2008 version, thanks to the hard work of local and national advocacy organizations throughout the country, there are a number of programs and policies in the new bill that benefit small-scale/alternative agriculture and underserved communities. Please see the attached document for more information. Good News for Local Foods in the Farm Bill.
Topics: Farm To Table Event Calendar, Policy Updates |
Farm Bill Review as of May 17th
Post Date: Wednesday, June 4th, 2008Though the Farm Bill is now law, the information provided by the Community Food Security Coalition provides some good links.
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| Help Us Improve Our Updates The policy staff at CFSC want to hear what you think. Click here to take our brief survey to let us know how useful these updates are and how we can serve you better. Thanks in advance!  Farm Bill TimingFarm Bill Language Goes PublicIt’s here! After much waiting and negotiating, the finalized legislative language (the actual law) of the Farm Bill and the conference report language (where legislators tell you what they meant by the law and how to interpret it) is available. You can download the legislative language here and the conference report language here (called the “Joint Statement of Managers”).The House has passed the bill on Wednesday with a vote of 318-106, more than enough to override a veto if everyone votes the same way again. The Senate will likely vote Thursday. President Bush has indicated that he will veto the bill, and Congress is attempting to find the votes for the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto. It is likely that the 2002 Farm Bill will be extended for a week or two as this process moves forward.CFSC is not currently taking a position as to whether this bill should become law. There are bright spots to the bill, but overall most people agree it is not the progressive, forward looking bill we were hoping for. Our platform was fairly narrow, and because of this it would be hard to justify action on the whole bill without a much deeper analysis of what the overall implications would be on community food security. Outcomes Community Food Projects: Section 4406(a)(7) – Funds the program at $5 million (in mandatory money) for fiscal year 2008 and each year after, making it a permanent program. Geographic preference: Section 4302 – Allows K-12 schools receiving federal funds for the school lunch program the flexibility to specify a geographic preference for the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products. Report language indicates that “unprocessed” is not intended to be interpreted literally, and it states that “unprocessed” should include washing vegetables, bagging greens, butchering livestock and poultry, pasteurizing milk, or putting eggs in a carton. Financing for Local Food Enterprises: Section 6015 – Provides 5% of funds (approx. $50 million annually) in loan guarantees for businesses in rural areas involved in local food distribution and marketing to secure private-secure loans backed by a USDA loan guarantee through the Rural Business and Industries Loan and Loan Guarantee program. Includes a definition of “locally produced food.”
Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: Section 4231 and 4406(c) – Provides $20.6 million per year (mandatory) for fresh fruits and vegetable vouchers to low-income seniors that can be used at participating farmers’ markets, roadside stands and community supported agriculture subscriptions, worth $10-$100 annually per recipient (amount varies by state/tribe). Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program: Section 4304 – Provides $500 million (mandatory) over five years for selected schools to purchase at least one daily fresh fruit or vegetable snack. The program will focus on low-income school districts, and allocates 1% of funding total funding to each state and the District of Columbia with additional funding allocated by relative state population. Schools can preference local products. Farmers’ Market Promotion Program: Section 10106 – $33 million mandatory over 5 years to provide competitive grants of up to $75,000 to promote farmers’ markets and other direct marketing ventures. Sets aside 10% of annual funding to implement projects for using “food stamp” benefits at farmers’ markets. Food Stamp Nutrition Education: Section 4111 – State agencies may implement a nutrition education program for individuals eligible for program benefits that promotes healthy food choices consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and may deliver nutrition education directly to eligible persons or through agreements with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, including through the expanded food and nutrition education program. Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Section 4201 – Provides the following funding to purchase commodities for emergency food assistanc e: $190 million for FY 2008, $250 million for FY 2009, and for FY 2010-2012 the program will be increased by the percentage the thrifty food plan is increased. TEFAP will have up to $100 million in discretionary funds for administrative, distribution, and storage costs. The Congressional Hunger Center: Section 4401 – Our friends at the Congressional Hunger Center are authorized with discretionary funds. • The Food Stamp Program is renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and “food stamps” will now be called “supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits”. Save the Date for our Annual Conference Victory Against Hunger Awards
Happy Eating, |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Farm Bill Timing Outcomes Other Points of Interest On the Horizon Support CSFCIN THE NEWS A little dash of everything*The World Food Crisis, by John Nichols in The Nation, May 12, 2008 The World Food Crisis - Sources and Solutions by Fred Magdoff in Monthly Review May 2008Farm Bill Full of Goodies for Both Rich and Poor by Mary Clare Jalonick, Washington Post, May 14 2008 U.S. Farm Bill Limits Affect Few Growers: Reformers by Charles Abbott, Washington Post, May 13 2008Nutrition Groups Fighting For Farm Bill by David Rogers, Politico, May 13 2008 Farm Bill Opponents Urge “No” Vote by Peter Shinn, Brownfield, May 13 2008 Farm to School: Ecotrust Keeps It Local by Lizbeth M. Brown, eCoTimes, May 5 2008 Corn Prices Rise, Pitting Chickens Against Ethanol by Cindy Skrzycki Washington Post, May 13 2008 Four Ways to Ease A Global Food Crisis Over the Next Year by Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal, May 12 2008 *The above articles represent a sample of food issues in the Missed one of our updates? Check out our Policy Update Archives! |
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Community Food Security Coalition The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3), North American organization dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times. We seek to develop self-reliance among all communities in obtaining their food and to create a system of growing, manufacturing, processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based and grounded in the principles of justice, democracy, and sustainability. Unsubscribe pamelaroy@aol.com from this list or change your subscription preferences. Forward this email to a friend Farm to Table 3900 Paseo del Sol Santa Fe NM 87507 505-473-1004
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