For almost two years Maine state regulators have kept a small home food business from serving healthy, prepared meals to a rural community. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), in support of Kenduskeag Kitchen owner Rhiannon Deschaine and other members, maintains the action taken by the State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) […]
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Update: State of Maine and Town of Kenduskeag Strengthen Laws Related to Food Freedom
In response to action taken by FTCLDF and some of its members, drafters of the Maine Food Sovereignty Act and the Town of Kenduskeag decided to improve on the relevant laws and make it absolutely crystal clear that the kind of food preparation being done by Kenduskeag Kitchen is covered by the law and was […]
Help FTCLDF Fight for Food Freedom in Maine
Kenduskeag, Me. (June 12, 2023) – As we reported about six weeks ago, Maine state regulators have shuttered a small home food business serving healthy, prepared meals to one of its rural communities. In support of Kenduskeag Kitchen owner Rhiannon Deschaine and other members, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) maintains action taken by the State […]
Fighting for Food Freedom in Maine: FTCLDF Lawsuit Asserts the State of Maine Has Violated the Food Sovereignty Act
Kenduskeag, Me. (April 27, 2023) – Maine state regulators have shuttered a small home food business serving healthy, prepared meals to a rural community. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), in support of Kenduskeag Kitchen owner Rhiannon Deschaine and other members, maintains the action taken by the State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) violates […]
Fighting for Food Freedom in Maine: FTCLDF Lawsuit Asserts the State Has Violated Its Food Sovereignty Act
On March 28, 2023, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and some of its members filed a lawsuit against the State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to protect food freedom in Maine. In late 2022, DHHS agents ordered the closure of the Kenduskeag Kitchen —a small, home -based food producer business that […]
Maine’s Right to Food Constitutional Amendment
On Tuesday, November 3, 2021, Maine voters approved an historic state constitutional amendment establishing a constitutional Right to Food. The measure added language to the state constitution providing that individuals have a “natural, inherent, and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right…
Developments with Maine Food Sovereignty Law
Maine set precedence this year as the first state in the nation to permit municipalities the authorization to regulate local food systems. LD 725, titled An Act to Recognize Local Control Regarding Food Systems (commonly known as The Food Sovereignty Act), grants municipalities control of their
Maine Governor Signs Local Food Sovereignty Bill; Vetoes Unregulated Statewide Food Sales
It’s been an amazing past couple of weeks in Maine. On June 16, the state broke new ground for the local food movement when Governor Paul LePage signed LD (Legislative Drawer) 725, a bill giving control over food regulation to
Close Again on Food Freedom in Maine
For the second year in a row, legislation on freedom of food choice nearly passed the Maine legislature but came up short. LD 783, a “Resolution, Proposing Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to establish a right to food
Sixteenth Maine Town Passes Food Sovereignty Ordinance
Bingham, MAINE—July 10, 2015—On July 1, Bingham, Maine became the 16th town in that state to pass the Local Food and Community Self-Governance Ordinance (LFCSGO) when its citizens voted to adopt the LFCSGO at a special town meeting by a ballot vote of 59-8. Under the ordinance, farmers