An Act To ClarifytheMaineFood Sovereignty Act
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0574
Senate Amendment SA_C_CA_A_S543 (Senate)
Amends: 7 MRSA §282, 7 MRSA §284, 7 MRSA §286, 30-A MRSA §7505

SENATE AMEND:MENT "C, "to COMMITTEE A:MEND:MENT "A" to H.P. 419, 
L.D. 574, "An Act To ClarifytheMaineFood Sovereignty Act" 
Amend the amendment by inserting after the title the following: 
'Amend the bill by striking out all of the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Amend the Maine Food Sovereignty Act and To Recognize the Maine 
Food Sovereignty Act in Plantations and Unorganized Territories' ' 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of sections 1, 2 and 3 and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §282, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 314, §1, is amended to 
read: 
2. Food or food products. "Food or food products" means food or food products 
intended that are grown, produced, processed or prepared for human consumption, 
including, but not limited to, vegetables, fruit, milk or milk products, meat or meat 
products, poultry or poultry products, fish or fish products, seafood or seafood products, 
cider or juice, acidified foods or canned fruits or vegetables. 
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §282, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 314, §1, is repealed. 
Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §284, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 314, §1, is amended to read: 
§284. Bame rule aath0Fity Authority 
Pursuant to the home rule authority granted to municipalities by Title 30-A, section 
3001 and by the Constitution of Maine, Article VIII, Part Second, pursuant to the authority 
granted to plantations by Title 30-A, section 7051, and notwithstanding any provision of 
state food law regulating food in this Title or Title 22 to the contrary, except as contained 
in section 285, a municipality or plantation may adopt ordinances regarding direct 
producer-to-consumer transactions and the State shall recognize such ordinances by not 
enforcing those state food laws or implementing rules with respect to those direct producer-
to-consumer transactions that are governed by the ordinance. 
Pursuant to the authority granted to county commissioners by Title 30-A, section 7505 
5 
and notwithstanding any provision of law regulating food in this Title or Title 22 to the 
contrary, except as contained in section 285, a county may adopt ordinances regarding 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
ROS 
SENATEAMENDMENT"C. "toCOMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A"toH.P. 419,L.D. 574 C s~S1-\ 31 
direct producer-to-consumer transactions within one or more unorganized territories within 
that county and the State shall recognize such an ordinance by not enforcing those laws or 
implementing rules with respect to those direct producer-to-consumer transactions that are 
governed by the ordinance. 
Sec. 4. 7 MRSA §286, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 314, §1, is amended to read: 
§286. Compliance with food safety regulations 
An individual who grows, produces, processes or prepares food or food products for 
purposes other than direct producer-to-consumer transactions in a municipality that adopts 
or amends, plantation or unorganized territory governed by an ordinance authorized 
pursuant to section 284 shall grow, produce, process or prepare the food or food products 
in compliance with all applicable state and federal food safety laws, rules and regulations. 
Sec. 5. 30-AMRSA §7051, sub-§11, as amended by PL2019, c. 138, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
11. Ordinances. Chapter 141, but only with respect to animal control ordinances, 
subject to Title 7, section 3950, the sale and use of consumer fireworks within the 
plantation, subject to Title 8, section 223-A, aa4 the accumulation of garbage, refuse, 
rubbish or trash or unwanted or discarded material of any kind or source on private property 
and ordinances adopted in accordance with Title 7, chapter 8-F. 
Sec. 6. 30-A MRSA §7505 is enacted to read: 
§7505. Ordinances authorized under the Maine Food Sovereignty Act 
The county commissioners of each county may adopt ordinances regarding direct 
producer-to-consumer transactions in accordance with Title 7, chapter 8-F. Ordinances 
adopted by the county commissioners govern direct producer-to-consumer transactions in 
any unorganized territory within the county whose residents have opted, in a manner 
prescribed by the county commissioners, to have the ordinance apply in that unorganized 
territory.' 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces Committee Amendment "A" and makes the following 
changes to the Maine Food Sovereignty Act. 
1. It changes the definition of "food or food products." 
2. It repeals the definition of "state food law" and replaces references to this term with 
references to the laws regulating food in the Maine Revised Statutes, Titles 7 and 22. 
3. It provides that a plantation has the same powers and duties and is subject to the 
same restrictions as a municipality with respect to ordinances directing producer-to-
consumer transactions under the Maine Food Sovereignty Act. 
4. It provides that the county commissioners of each county may adopt ordinances 
regarding direct producer-to-consumer transactions within one or more unorganized 
territories within that county in accordance with the Maine Food Sovereignty Act. 
Ordinances adopted by the county commissioners govern direct producer-to-consumer 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATE AMENDMENT ''C,_ "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 419, L.D. 574 ( '::)-S'3YJ 
transactions in any unorganized territory within the county whose residents have opted, in 
a manner prescribed by the county commissioners, to have the ordinance apply in that 
unorganized territo~· 
SPONSOREDBY=~ rd-M---
(Senator IDC 
, C.) 
,/ 
COUNTY: Kennebec 
SENATE AMENDMENT