STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1681-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.C.R. No. 97

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO PROVIDE FOOD SAFETY WORKSHOPS OR CLASSES FOR ALL PERSONS WITH TEMPORARY FOOD ESTABLISHMENT PERMITS, PROVIDE COPIES OF ITS FOOD SAFETY ADMINISTRATIVE RULES TO CONSUMERS AND INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS, AND CONVENE A COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS WORKING GROUP COMPOSED OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COTTAGE FOOD INDUSTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support the State's growing cottage food industry while ensuring safe food handling practices by requesting the Department of Health to:

(1)  Provide food safety workshops or classes for persons who have temporary food establishment permits;

(2)  Provide copies of its Title 11, Chapter 50, Hawaii Administrative Rules, Food Safety Code, to consumers and interested cottage food industry stakeholders; and

(3)  Convene a cottage food business working group comprising representatives from the Department of Health and cottage food industry to examine the Food Safety Code as it relates to the issues and areas specified in this measure.

The Ulupono Initiative, Local Food Coalition, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and two individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Health opposed this measure.

     Your Committee notes that food safety workshops are already available on all islands.  In addition, copies of the Food Safety Code can be obtained at these workshops or requested separately through the Sanitation Offices on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu, or viewed and downloaded from the Department of Health website.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing its title to read:  "REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS WORKING GROUP COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE COTTAGE FOOD INDUSTRY";

(2)  Deleting provisions requesting the Department of Health to provide food safety workshops and classes and make copies of its Food Safety Code available to the public;

(3)  Requesting the Ulupono Initiative and/or the Local Food Coalition, rather than the Department of Health, to convene the cottage food business working group and submit a report of the working group's findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature prior to the 2015 Regular Session;

(4)  Requesting that certified copies of this measure be sent to the general partner of the Ulupono Initiative and the members of the Local Food Coalition; and

(5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair