IA Action Alert – HF 2431 Senate Vote on home foods

Tell Your Senator to Vote YES on HF 2431 Support Food Freedom
House File 2431 (HF 2431) has passed out of the House as well as the Senate Commerce Committee and is now up for a vote of the full Senate which will likely take place sometime this week. The bill will improve the ability of home kitchens and cottage food producers to earn a living and will increase consumer access to locally produced foods.

Under HF 2431, licensed home food producers will be able to sell up to $50,000 per year of perishable foods (i.e., foods requiring time and temperature control for safety), including poultry and meat products if the producer is in compliance with federal law. Under current law, licensed home food producers can only sell up to $35,000 of perishable baked goods annually. The bill will also expand the sale of shelf-stable non-perishable foods to now include online sales and shipment direct to the consumer. If a home food producer is only selling shelf-stable foods direct to the consumer, there are neither licensing requirements nor a sales cap.

HF 2431 is a great opportunity to strengthen Iowa’s local food system.

ACTION TO TAKE

Call and/or email your Senator and ask that he or she vote YES on HF 2431. Calls are best. A list of Senators is here.

To find your Senator, go to https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find

TALKING POINTS

1. Homemade foods, whether perishable or non-perishable, have an excellent track record for food safety. All 50 states have cottage food laws; foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to producers operating under them are almost non-existent. HF 2431 helps assure food safety through basic requirements; all foods sold under the bill must be listed as homemade as well as listing the ingredients of the product and any major allergens.

2. The bill will expand consumer access to locally produced foods; more people want to purchase locally produced food and HF 2431 improves their ability to do that.

3. HF 2431 will better enable home food producers to make a living by increasing the kinds of foods they can sell and the way they can sell homemade foods.

4. HF 2431 will help the state economy by keeping more of the food dollar in the state.

LINKS
HF 2431 – https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=hf2431

Senator listing –https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/senate

Find Your Legislators – https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find

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