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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] “The Greens Must be Sold Dirty”
  • Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:29:20 -0700



“The Greens Must be Sold Dirty”
ALERT: Ohio Farm Food and Health Alert
July 12, 2009 · 21 Comments
http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/alert-ohio-farm-food-and-health-alert/
RE: Farm and Farmers Market Enforcement Actions

The Ohio Department of Health/Department of Agriculture has issued a Notice
of Violation to a farmer at a farmers market in Lake County on 7/8/09.

According to the notice, it is a violation to offer cleaned and rinsed
“lettuce and mixed greens” in a package at a farmers market. It must be sold
dirty, the notice says.

This is due to new rules and the definition of “food processing”. Since the
lettuce was cleaned and rinsed with water, the food is defined as
“adulterated” because the person doing so is an unlicensed “processor”.

Processors are also subject to home kitchen and farm inspections and seizure
of business records. In effect the official notice implies that cleaned and
packaged greens are adulterated, while dirty greens are healthier and safer.
By their own definitions, dirty vegetables are acceptable, while cleaned and
rinsed vegetables are not and are unsafe and “potentially hazardous”.

The official actions of ODH/ODA and their local agent in Lake County gives
notice to all farmers markets and farm markets concerning cleaned and rinsed
greens, and potentially for other fruits and vegetables.

Since these rules are developed in cooperation with USDA, similar actions are
being taken in other states also.

Stay tuned for a farmers response plan for these type of enforcement
incidents at farms and markets.

Also see, State/local Health Depts Close Farmers Markets– the case of the
lemonade stand, the hot coffee in a thermos violation and others.

In closing this developing story, I wanted to let you also know that an
Amish grower of fine grass-fed beef contacted me last week and told me he was
shut out of a Cleveland farmers market because he could not afford to comply
with all the new rules, including the mechanical refrigeration. A friend of
mine called tonight and told me he cannot sell his USDA organic certified
meat on ice and now needs to sell it out of a truck parked down the street
from the market.




  • [Livingontheland] “The Greens Must be Sold Dirty”, Tradingpost, 10/29/2009

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