This article is not about roadside stands.
What this article is talking about is food cooperatives which non-farmers use to avoid regulations by using exemptions written to permit farmers to consume the produce of their own farms on their own farms.
Just about any food regulation includes a exemption that permits farmers to consume their own produce. By forming cooperatives, non-farmers are operating the exemptions to purchase food that they had no role in producing and over which they assert no control in the production process. This leaves the consumer vulnerable to less than ideal practices by the farmer.
For instance, if a farmer were to produce raw milk for his family’s own consumption, he would be very careful to make sure the cows udders were clean and sanitary and that his equipment was properly sterilized, so as not to introduce harmful bacteria into the milk. However, he might not be so scrupulous when producing milk for somebody else.
As far as I am concerned, this is a risk people should be permitted to assume. But nobody should think that just because the cows look happy, the equipment in the barn has been properly sterilized. The cows don’t care about that. If a customer wants to consume raw unregulated products, he should be very careful to only purchase from farmers who have demonstrated integrity and safe practices.
Just how MANY people have been poisoned or DIED because of food cooperatives?
This leaves the consumer vulnerable to less than ideal practices by the farmer.
And just how many farmers are so unscrupulous? According to you, you just CAN'T trust American Farmers.
I know a lot of REGULATED, CORPORATE, CRONY CAPITALIST farms are sending out iceberg lettuce that is making thousands sick.
Oh, but just jeez louiz, they are REGULATED farms, and are ABOVE reproach.
Don't know about too many folks falling ill from iceberg lettuce from Amishland.
(bet you don't know what that even means.)
Hey, guess what, roadside stands ARE being targeted. But you are all about taking the RATZ back. Got your number.