Dickinson County Supervisors Discuss Food Security Concerns
Dickinson County Supervisors Discuss Food Security Concerns
May 25, 2022Steve Schwaller
(Spirit Lake)– Local food security was a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s Dickinson County Board of Supervisors meeting. Calvin Thiessen, a producer, presented a proposed ordinance that he says would help ensure local residents continue to have access to healthy food, as the cost of groceries soars and some items are hard to find or can’t be found at all…
“It’s astounding to me that here in Iowa that people are even thinking about that. We produce food here. That’s what we do. And yet I’m constantly talking to people about this. And they are concerned. With fuel prices going up and the price of food going up along with shortages, most people are feeling priced out of good food.”
Thiessen says the ordinance he’s proposing would do away with some of the red tape individual producers have to go through in selling food items…
“It would make them exempt from licensure and inspection provided that the transaction is only between producer or processor and the patron when the food is sold for home consumption. This includes any producer or processor who sells his or her products at farmer’s markets or roadside stands; sells his or her products through farm-based sales directly to a patron, or delivers his or her products directly to patrons. Producers or processors of local foods are exempt from licensure and inspection provided that the products are prepared for, consumed or sold at a community social event.”
Supervisor Chairman Bill Leupold said while he agrees food security is quickly becoming more of an issue, local officials have to be careful so as not to supercede regulations on the state and federal levels…
“This does raise a lot of issues with us. Our number one priority is to protect our citizens. And that’s both from hunger but also from possible diseases. I know whenever I’ve have gotten meat from a butcher, or, you know, a neighbor has had a cow butchered and I bought some, all the packages say not for re-sale. And so there’s got to be a reason for that.”
The supervisors directed assistant county attorney Steve Goodlow to see what authority the county has, if any, to take any such action.
