Sorry this post is so late but I had to go to lobby today. It was fun. Exciting in some cases and I got to attend a hearing on the Fraking Bill in the Ag Committee. But it makes this post way late. Anyway here was the deal:
http://www.ilstewards.org/blog
On April 6th, local foodies, farmers, and citizens from across the state will come together in Springfield to encourage their legislators to support local food and farms. Illinois Stewardship Alliance invites you to join us for our 2nd annual local food and farm lobby day in Springfield on April 6th, from 10a.m. – 3p.m. at the Pasfield House and IL State Capitol Complex in Springfield.
Local Food Awareness Day will consist of a legislative update, orientation, lobbying 101 training, and lunch at the Pasfield House. Following lunch we will descend upon the capitol to educate legislators about the importance of local food systems and advocate for positive policy solutions that promote and support local food systems in Illinois.
Cost: $15 (FREE for members) – includes lobbying training, orientation and lunch at the Pasfield House
*Additionally you may become a member now for $25 (1 year membership) which will allow you to attend lobby day for free.
Registration: To register for the 2011 Local Food Awareness Day @ the Captiol click here. Registration deadline is March 30th.
Payment can be made by sending a check to Illinois Stewrdship Alliance, 401 W. Jackson Parkway, Springfield IL, 62704 (Please make sure you register at the link above before sending a check) or by calling the ISA office at 217-528-1563 (ask for Dee). Or use paypal online by clicking here.
For more information contact ISA’s Policy coordinator, Wes King at wes@ilstewards.org
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And
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Removing Barriers to Local Food Entrepreneurship
We are excited to announce that Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria) is introducing and sponsoring the Illinois Local Food Entrepreneur and Cottage Food Operation Act. The legislation removes prohibitively burdensome barriers to aspiring entrepreneurs producing non-potentially hazardous food and enables preparation in home kitchens for sale at farmers markets for Illinois. The legislation is in line with at least 17 other states that have similar cottage food laws allowing the production of non-potentially hazardous food items in home kitchens for sale at farmers markets; including most of Illinois fellow Midwestern states.
The cottage food operation bill is one step in an on-going effort to create food rules and regulations that encourage and support local food producers and entrepreneurs by applying scale and risk appropriate regulations. The Illinois Local Food Entrepreneur and Cottage Food Operation Act creates a stepping stone for potential local food entrepreneurs to experiment with recipes and business models by eliminating the costly barrier of constructing or accessing a certified kitchen as the current regulations require.
The proposed legislation will allow entrepreneurs to produce non-potentially hazardous food in their home kitchen to be sold at farmers markets provided certain conditions are met:
- Products are labeled to include: the name and address of the producer, the common or usual name of the product, the ingredients of the food product, the date the product was processed and the following phrase: “This product is homemade and no subject to state inspection.”
- Gross receipts from the sale of products does not exceed $25,000 in a calendar year.
- The name and residence of the person preparing and selling products as a cottage food operation is registered with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Agriculture.
- The person preparing and selling products as a cottage food operation has an approved Food Service Sanitation Management Certificate.
ISA is a small non-profit so if we are going to make the Illinois Local Food Entrepreneur & Cottage Food Operation Act a reality in Illinois we are going to need your help spreading the word and lobbying your elected officials to support our efforts. Please keep your eyes peeled for more information about this legislation coming soon!
You can access the legislation by clicking here. View a factsheet about the legislation here. If you are interested in supporting or learning more about the Illinois Local Food Entrepreneur & Cottage Food Operation Act contact ISA’s policy coordinator
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More tomorrow.
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