Community Empowerment Matters

(Image of an Urban Farm: Listened in Creative Commons , taken by Flickr User TCDavis)   Concerns about food scarcity, health, the environment, and our economy have led many to seek out locally produced and marketed food. Food grown in one’s own community can supply jobs to local residents, provide a consistent supply of high quality, seasonal products, and keep more dollars in the area. However, food production is intensely regulated by federal, state, and even local governments to protect the public from potential health concerns. This article will describe a few of the primary concerns for individuals involved in selling locally grown vegetables, fruits, and other raw produce. Whether you are operating a farm, selling food products at farmers markets, or preparing food dishes in a restaurant, these rules will be important when local food is involved. Although this is not an exhaustive list of issues to consider, it will cover some of the most important, including: rules for selli...

    When COVID blew up in March of 2020, restaurants, bars, and the food service industry in general were one of the hardest hit industries in the world. People were simply not comfortable sitting in an enclosed indoor space with no ventilation less than 6 feet away from many other patrons. The simple necessity of taking a mask off to eat or drink made indoor dining uniquely risky. Indeed, a Stanford study found that indoor dining was a “major cause of COVID-19 ‘superspreader’ events.”  There are 4.4 million jobs directly associated with the restaurant industry, and millions more indirectly supported. As the industry began to shed jobs, state governments across the country began to change their laws to deal with the crisis. In Michigan, one of the most common solutions was to loosen restrictions on outdoor dining to allow restaurants to attempt to continue service in a safer way. Additionally, the Michigan Legislature passed an amendment to the Michigan Liquor Contro...