Local Food Advisory Committee

The intent of this advisory committee is to provide a non-adversarial setting where issues relating to local food can be raised and discussed, information can be shared and problem-solving between Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Health, and the local food community can take place.

Introducing the Local Food Advisory Committee:

Presentation (PDF, 1.8 Mb)

Mission and Scope (PDF, 102 kb)

Communications & Outreach Capacity (PDF, 183 kb)

Submit a question, comment, or complaint to the Committee

If you have a concern or you've spotted an issue in some way that local food production, distribution, and marketing interact with state regulations, please send us a note on this Comment Form

...Or, contact a staff person directly:

Wayne Martin, U of MN Extension. marti067@umn.edu; 612-625-6224

Jane Jewett, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. jewet006@umn.edu; 218-845-2832

Proceedings of the Local Food Advisory Committee

Regular Meeting, April 13, 2017

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of Topics:

The Food Group & MN Food Association
Sustainable Farming Association
Foodborne Illness as Result of Agritourism
Foodborne Illness from Non-Inspected Meat
Farm to School Leadership Team & Legislative Proposals
Wholesale Produce Dealer Licensing
MDA Dairy & Meat Inspections Update

Presentation by Jeff Bender, U of MN:

Agritourism Benefits and Challenges (PDF)

Presentation by Nikki Neeser, MDA:

Outbreaks Associated with Non-Inspected Meat (PDF)

Regular Meeting, December 12, 2016

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of Topics:

MDA Dairy & Meat Division Update
Regulators Met with Grow North
Local Produce in Day-Care Centers
Approved Source of Water
Local Food Donations to Food Shelves
Grant Applications Submitted
Innovation Group in MDA

Regular Meeting, September 30, 2016

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of Topics:

GreenhouseMN
FEAST Local Food Network
Midwest Pantry
Grow North
Minnesota Food Code Update
MDA Update
Legislative Proposals
Fact Sheet Update
Bush Grant Priorities
Links to Organizations & Resources

Regular Meeting, June 27, 2016

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of topics:

Bush Grant “Portable Document”
Good Food Access Fund
Government IT Symposium
Healthy Food Safe Food
Wabasha Farmers Market
Cottage Foods
The Good Acre
MN Department of Agriculture Update

Regular Meeting, March 8, 2016

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of Topics:

Wabasha Farmers’ Market
Update on Local Food Fact Sheets for Farmers & Food Entrepreneurs
Bush Grant Update
School Use of School Garden Produce
Re-Organization within Minnesota Department of Agriculture
FSMA Final Rule on Produce Safety
MDA Dairy & Meat Inspections Updates
Raw Milk Lawsuit
Funding for LFAC
Cottage Food Law Implementation

Regular Meeting, December 11, 2015

Meeting Notes (PDF)

List of Topics:

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Update
Metro Food Access Network
Good Food Access Fund
Minnesota Food Code
Cottage Food Law
Shared Commercial Kitchens & Plan Review
Update on Bush Community Innovation Grant

Regular Meeting, September 10, 2015

Meeting Notes (PDF, 181 kb)

List of topics:

Minnesota Food Charter
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Update
Bush Grant Update
Cottage Food Law
Local Food Sales Fact Sheets
Bison processing, processing exemptions across borders
Cider and fruit juice production and marketing

Regular Meeting, May 22, 2015

Meeting Notes (PDF, 187 kb)

List of topics:

Approved water source for food manufacturing and food service
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Legislative update
Cottage Food Law
Fact Sheets for Farmers’ Market Vendors
Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant
Drying of Food, Especially Mushrooms
Agritourism

Regular Meeting, February 12, 2015

Meeting Notes (PDF, 145 kb)

List of topics:

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Update
Crow River Ketchup Launched
Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant
Cottage Food Legislation
Misbranding & Recalls
Sales of Milled Grain

Regular Meeting, December 12, 2014

Meeting Notes (PDF, 154 kb)

List of topics:

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Update
On-Farm Food Events: Licensing Questions
Water Sources
Farmers’ Market Questions
Cottage Food Law
Food Code Revision
Farm-to-School
Other Legislative Efforts

Regular Meeting, September 5, 2014

Meeting Notes (PDF, 181 kb)

List of topics:

On-Farm Food Service
Food Vendor Scenarios
Ketchup Production Example
Potential for Changes to Licensing Process
Meat Inspections Budgetary Needs

Meat Inspections Meeting & Information; September 3, 2014

Map of Equal-To Inspected Plants in MN, 2014 (PDF, 213 kb)

Meat & Poultry Inspection: Performance Measures, Budget Projections and Needs (PDF, 525 kb)

Meat & Poultry Inspection Needs Meeting Notes, Sept. 3, 2014(PDF, 14 kb)

Livestock Producer Survey Results, Sept. 15, 2014 (PDF, 153 kb)

Regular Meeting, May 13, 2014

Meeting Notes (PDF, 182 kb)

List of topics:

Recap of Farmers' Market Sampling Legislation
Local Food Processing & Regulations
Risk-Based Analysis of Food Safety
National-Level Food Safety Discussions
Cottage Industry Regulations
Local Foods Festival, "FEAST" Show in Rochester, MN in November 2014
Licensiong Requirements for Farmer Collaborations, such as Multi-Farm CSAs
Benefits of Licensing
Product Labeling
Poultry Processing

Food Safety Risk Analysis
PDF, 240 kb; Dr. Fernando Sampedro, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, University of Minnesota

A Guide to Regulations for Local Food Entrepreneurs
PDF, 2.4 Mb; Megan O'Hara, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems, University of Minnesota

Archive of Meeting Notes & Documents

Meeting Notes, 01/07/14 (PDF, 151 kb)

Meeting Notes, 12/12/13 (PDF, 136 kb)

Meeting Notes, 9/06/13 (PDF, 201 kb)

Steering Committee Meeting Notes, 7/15/13 (docx, 17 kb)

Action Items, 5/24/13 (docx, 16 kb)

Meeting Notes, 5/24/13 (docx, 27 kb)

Meeting Agenda for 5/24/13 (docx, 18 kb)

Listening Session Notes, 2/16/13 (docx, 17 kb)

Meeting Notes, 1/30/13 (docx, 32 kb)

Local Food Advisory Committee Members:

Homegrown Minneapolis

MN Association of Meat Processors

MN Department of Agriculture

MN Department of Health

Minnesota Grown

MN Farmers Market Association

MN Farmers Union

MN Institute for Sustainable Agriculture

Olmsted County Public Health

Renewing the Countryside

Sustainable Farming Association

U of MN Extension

U of MN Meat Science

Steering Sub-Committee:

Wayne Martin, U of MN Extension. marti067@umn.edu

Jane Jewett, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. jewet006@umn.edu

Jan Joannides, Renewing the Countryside. jan@rtcinfo.org

Mike Lilja, Sustainable Farming Association, mlilja@usinternet.com

Kathy Zeman, MN Farmers Market Association. kzeman@mfma.org

Ryan Cox, Meat Science Program, U of MN. ryancox@umn.edu

Jennifer Stephes, MDA-Dairy & Food Inspection Division. jennifer.stephes@state.mn.us

Nicole Neeser, MDA-Dairy & Food Inspection Division. nicole.neeser@state.mn.us

What is "Local Food?"

Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant:

Local Food Advisory Committee Primer (PDF, 175 kb)

Release date: 02/14/13

Includes links to information from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on local regulations, processing, and sales for farmers' markets, meats, and produce; also covers donation of food and links to supporting documents from the Minnesota Department of Health. This is basic information that committee members should read to support discussions at advisory committee meetings.