05/09/2024 05:15 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

              HB 251-EXEMPTIONS FOR HOMEMADE FOODS                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
6:26:19 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  BJORKMAN   reconvened  the   meeting  and   announced  the                                                               
consideration  of CS  FOR  HOUSE  BILL NO.  251(L&C)  am "An  Act                                                               
exempting  certain foods  and drinks  prepared in  an uninspected                                                               
kitchen  from state  labeling, licensing,  packaging, permitting,                                                               
and inspection  requirements; and permitting a  person to acquire                                                               
meat from  a producer by way  of an ownership share  in an animal                                                               
if certain conditions are met."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
6:26:53 PM                                                                                                                    
RYAN  MCKEE,  Staff,   Representative  George  Rauscher,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, said HB  251 would help promote food  security in Alaska.                                                               
He said Alaska's  food supply was fragile,  with the overwhelming                                                               
majority having to  be imported from out of state.  He noted that                                                               
a  huge lack  of homegrown  food industries  created a  strain on                                                               
local communities across the state. He  said HB 251 would allow a                                                               
producer to sell  homegrown and/or farmed local  food products to                                                               
an informed  end consumer  and allow  consumers to  purchase meat                                                               
directly from  ranchers if [the  meat product] complies  with the                                                               
animal share  agreements. He said  passing HB 251 would  help put                                                               
food  on the  tables of  Alaskans and  increase food  security in                                                               
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
6:27:57 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN opened public testimony on HB 251.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
6:28:18 PM                                                                                                                    
SARAH  OATES, President,  Alaska Cabaret,  Hotel, Restaurant  and                                                               
Retailers   Association   (Alaska  CHARR),   Anchorage,   Alaska,                                                               
testified  with concerns  on HB  251. She  said Alaska  CHARR had                                                               
over 700  members across Alaska communities  and represented over                                                               
2000  hospitality   establishments  that  employed   over  30,000                                                               
workers around  the state. She  said Alaska CHARR was  opposed to                                                               
HB. She reported that:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
   • According to the Centers for Disease Control and                                                                           
     Prevention, 48 million people get sick from food borne                                                                     
     illnesses each year.                                                                                                       
        • 128,000 are hospitalized                                                                                              
        • 3000 people die from foodborne illnesses each year                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  OATES  said Alaska  Food  Code  required that  certain  food                                                               
establishments,   including   those   that   prepare   and   sell                                                               
potentially hazardous foods for  human consumption, have at least                                                               
one  certified Food  Protection Manager  on staff.  She said  the                                                               
training for a Food Protection  Manager thoroughly covered topics                                                               
like foodborne illness and proper cooking temperatures.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. OATES, as the leader of  an organization that taught the Food                                                               
Protection  Manager course,  urged the  committee to  ensure that                                                               
entrepreneurs  were  educated  and consumers  remained  protected                                                               
from  foodborne  illnesses by  requiring  that  any business,  or                                                               
individuals  that prepared  for themselves  potentially hazardous                                                               
foods  for personal  consumption,  would  obtain good  Protection                                                               
Manager Certification.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
6:30:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN closed public testimony on HB 251.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
6:30:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNBAR asked for clarification  about what changes HB 251                                                               
would provide. He specifically asked  which food (products) would                                                               
be  eligible to  buy and  sell that  were not  eligible for  sale                                                               
prior to HB 251.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
6:31:07 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. MCKEE deferred to Ms. Koeneman.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
6:31:26 PM                                                                                                                    
CRYSTAL KOENEMAN, Legislative Liaison, Department of                                                                            
Environmental Conservation, Juneau, Alaska said Alaska's cottage                                                                
food laws currently allowed for the sale of various baked goods,                                                                
such as cupcakes, cookies, and cakes, as well as jellies and                                                                    
jams. She said HB 251 would include those things and would                                                                      
extend the allowable list to include potentially hazardous                                                                      
foods, like focaccia with cheese, and charcuterie boards with                                                                   
meats and cheeses and cream cheese frosting. She offered to                                                                     
provide a more extensive list if requested by the Senator.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
6:32:37 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNBAR  noted that  HB 251,  [Section 1],  subsection (h)                                                               
allowed for  meats and meat  products. He asked what  was already                                                               
extant  in the  law and  what would  be changed  [by HB  251]. He                                                               
noted  that baked  goods  were already  allowed,  and fruits  and                                                               
vegetables were already allowed. He  asked whether the change was                                                               
to allow for [the sale of] meats and cheeses.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
6:33:17 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.   KOENEMAN  answered   that   items  considered   potentially                                                               
hazardous,  cream cheese,  because of  the water  content and  pH                                                               
value for example, would be allowed under HB 251.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
6:33:51 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DUNBAR noted  the use  of the  term hazardous  and asked                                                               
whether  the Department  of  Environmental Conservation  expected                                                               
there  to be  more  incidences  of food  borne  illness with  the                                                               
passage of HB 251.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
6:34:19 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.  KOENEMAN expressed  confidence on  behalf of  Representative                                                               
Rauscher and  the Department  of Environmental  Conservation food                                                               
sanitation and  safety team that  HB 251  would not lead  to more                                                               
foodborne  illness.  She  noted the  direct  producer-to-consumer                                                               
nature of the  sales in question and the  safety sidebars already                                                               
in place as [effective] consumer protections.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
6:35:17 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  BJORKMAN held  HB 251  in  the Senate  Labor and  Commerce                                                               
Standing Committee.