STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3198

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 97

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, 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 and intent of this measure is to promote safe food handling practices to protect the public health and facilitate such practices in the State's growing cottage food industry.

Specifically, this measure requests the Department of Health to:

     (1)  Provide food safety workshops or classes for all persons who have temporary food establishment permits approved by the Department on all islands where such persons reside;

     (2)  Provide copies of title 11, chapter 50, Hawaii Administrative Rules, relating to the Food Safety Code, to consumers and interested cottage food industry stakeholders;

     (3)  Convene a cottage food business working group, composed of representatives from the Department of Health and the cottage food industry, to examine title 11, chapter 50, Hawaii Administrative Rules, to consider issues related to the cottage food industry; and

     (4)  Submit a report of the working group's findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2015.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and Local Food Coalition.  Written comments in opposition were received from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that, in recent years, as the local food movement has become more popular, more states have focused on developing cottage food laws that allow home food businesses to exist legally.  Your Committee also finds that temporary food establishment permits issued by the Department of Health allow cottage food businesses to vend products produced in a home kitchen directly to consumers at bake sales, food swaps, farm stands, or farmers' markets.  Your Committee further finds that food safety workshops or classes available on all islands would be beneficial to home cooks who wish to grow their cottage food businesses.  Your Committee believes that this measure will be beneficial to both public health and the state economy.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair