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 “This is a really important step when it comes to supporting farmers
markets and community development, and a long time coming. Farmers,
farmers market managers and those that support the burgeoning local
food movement have been asking for and working towards a number of
the reforms included in House Bill 5657 for several years,” said Wes
King Executive Director of Illinois Stewardship Alliance. “These
reforms will help to support and sustain new and current farmers
markets, the jobs they create, the business they incubate and the
farmers, young and old that call them home.”
Illinois Stewardship Alliance has been working alongside the
Illinois Environmental Council, local health departments, the
Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Public Health
Association to develop HB5657.
The legislation, sponsored by Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal
Lake) and State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria), who first
introduced similar legislation in 2009; includes a number of
provisions aimed at supporting and sustaining farmers markets and
the farmers and vendors that attend them:
Consistent Statewide Farmers Market Rules -
creates a timeline for Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH)
Farmers’ Market Task Force to complete recommendations for statewide
rules and regulations for farmers markets and strengthens that task
force’s authority and process for developing and finalizing said
rules and regulations. The task force was originally created in
statute by the general assembly in 2011. The bill gives the task
force until December 15, 2014 to create their recommendations.
Currently food safety rules and regulations vary across the state
from county to county and city to city, sometimes dramatically,
creating a patchwork quilt of regulations for farmers and
entrepreneurs to navigate.
Statewide Sampling Program -
Sampling of products is critical to any food business including
those at farmers markets. HB 5657 authorizes and instructs IDPH and
the farmers market task force to develop a statewide sampling
certificate program that would allow a farmer or entrepreneur to
offer product samples at any farmers market in the state under one
certificate, and just as importantly, under one consistent statewide
set of rules. Currently related rules, regulations and permits are
highly variable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and few farmers
market vendors offer samples.
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Product Origin and Transparency Provisions -
Consumers at farmers markets may assume that products sold at
these markets are locally grown, but there are some vendors that
are actually resellers selling the same out of state product as
most grocery stores. HB5657 requires farmers market vendors
that sell unprocessed produce to have a label that states the
address where their products were physically grown. If the
vendor can’t disclose that, the vendor must list where it was
purchased from.
Cottage Food Operations
- Cottage food - or non-hazardous foods made in home kitchens - is a
growing business in Illinois. Caps the fee that local health
departments can charge cottage
food operations for registering at $25 per year to minimize costs to
these small businesses.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is currently developing educational
materials to inform farmers, farmer’s market managers and the public
regarding the impacts and changes set in-motion by this new law. In
addition, Illinois Stewardship Alliance and the Illinois Farmers
Market Association will also be hosting webinars (TBD) later in the
summer to educate attendees about the new law.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a nonprofit organization that
promotes environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially
just, local food systems through policy development, advocacy, and
education.
To keep up to date on various Illinois Stewardship Alliance policy
and legislative work, visit www.ilstewards.org.
[Text received; ILLINOIS STEWARDSHIP
ALLIANCE]
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