An Act To Expand the Local Foods Economy by Promoting Local Foods Procurement
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1584
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: VITELLI, HICKMAN, DILL, SAVIELLO, ALLEY, DUNPHY, KUMIEGA, TEPLER
Amends: 7 MRSA §401-B

Legislative Document
No. 1584
S.P. 557
In Senate, May 4, 2017
An Act To Expand the Local Foods Economy by Promoting Local 
Foods Procurement
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator VITELLI of Sagadahoc.
Cosponsored by Representative HICKMAN of Winthrop and
Senators: DILL of Penobscot, SAVIELLO of Franklin, Representatives: ALLEY of Beals, 
DUNPHY of Old Town, KUMIEGA of Deer Isle, TEPLER of Topsham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §401-B, sub-§7 is enacted to read: 
7.  Good local foods procurement program.  The commissioner shall establish and 
promote a good local foods procurement program, referred to in this subsection as "the 
program." 
A.  As used in this subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following 
terms have the following meanings. 
(1)  "Community supported agriculture" means an arrangement in which 
individual consumers have agreements with a farmer to be provided with food or 
other agricultural products produced on the farmer's farm. 
(2)  "Farmers' market" has the same meaning as in section 415, subsection 1, 
paragraph A. 
(3)  "Good local foods" means foods that are: 
(a)  Produced or harvested in this State; 
(b)  Healthy, safe, wholesome and nutritious and meet the dietary guidelines 
for Americans published jointly by the United States Department of Health 
and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture; 
(c)  Affordable; 
(d)  Accessible to all residents of this State; 
(e)  Equitably distributed so that producers and harvesters receive and 
consumers pay a reasonable price and so that producers and harvesters have 
an equal opportunity to sell foods and consumers have an equal opportunity 
to purchase foods; and 
(f)  Sustainably produced in terms of water, soil and pesticide management. 
B.  The program must help farmers and fishermen in this State by increasing demand 
for and direct purchasing of their products by individuals and institutions with a goal 
of increasing the sale and purchase of good local foods by 20% no later than 2025 
and supporting local economies, farms, fisheries, jobs, nutrition, environmental 
sustainability and animal welfare.  The program also must improve access to good 
local foods. 
C.  The program must increase the purchase of good local foods by public and private 
institutions in this State, including, but not limited to, primary and secondary schools, 
colleges and universities, hospitals, jails, community centers serving senior citizens, 
child care centers, restaurants and grocery stores.  The commissioner shall establish 
guidelines to assist these institutions to assess their ability to procure good local foods 
while minimizing costs. 
D.   The program must provide education and outreach for the purpose of supporting 
farms, farmers' markets, community supported agriculture and seafood providers to 
further the goal of increasing the sale and purchase of good local foods. 
E.  The program must improve access to good local foods for recipients of benefits 
under any food supplement program administered by the Department of Health and 
Human Services under Title 22.  The commissioner shall expand opportunities for 
farmers to sell good local foods to recipients of food supplement program benefits by 
promoting the use of electronic benefits transfer cards at farmers' markets and, in 
partnership with a statewide federation of farmers' markets, encouraging participation 
in community supported agriculture by recipients of food supplement program 
benefits.  The commissioner shall assist farmers' markets in accepting payments 
through the electronic benefits transfer system by helping them secure scanners and 
equipment, including equipment that does not require the use of electricity, for 
processing payments through the electronic benefits transfer system.  The 
commissioner, in partnership with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, 
shall educate recipients of food supplement program benefits of the opportunity to 
use the benefits at farmers' markets and the advantages of such use. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to 
establish a good local foods procurement program to encourage the purchase and sale of 
foods that are produced and harvested in this State and that are healthy, safe, wholesome, 
nutritious, affordable, accessible and sustainably produced.  The program, administered 
by the commissioner, must help farmers and fishermen in this State by increasing demand 
for and direct purchasing of their products by individuals and institutions with a goal of 
increasing the sale and purchase of good local foods by 20% no later than 2025 and 
supporting local economies, farms, fisheries, jobs, nutrition, environmental sustainability 
and animal welfare.  The program also must improve access to good local foods. 
The program must increase the purchase of good local foods by public and private 
institutions in this State, including, but not limited to, primary and secondary schools, 
colleges and universities, hospitals, jails, community centers serving senior citizens, child 
care centers, restaurants and grocery stores. 
The program must provide education and outreach for the purpose of supporting 
farms, farmers' markets and community supported agriculture to further the goal of 
increasing the sale and purchase of good local foods. 
The program must improve access to good local foods for recipients of food 
supplement program benefits.  The commissioner must expand opportunities for farmers 
to sell good local foods to recipients of food supplement program benefits by promoting 
the use of electronic benefits transfer cards at farmers' markets and, in partnership with a 
statewide federation of farmers' markets, encouraging participation in community 
supported agriculture by recipients of food supplement program benefits.  The 
commissioner must assist farmers' markets in accepting payments through the electronic 
benefits transfer system by helping them secure scanners and equipment, including 
equipment that does not require the use of electricity for locations that do not have access 
to electricity, for processing payments through the electronic benefits transfer system.  
The commissioner, in partnership with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, 
must educate recipients of food supplement program benefits of the opportunity to use the 
benefits at farmers' markets and the advantages of such use.