Virginia Food Law

05/21/2015

Virginia SB1260 | 2015 | Regular Session

In Virginia, many new laws go into effect beginning on July 1 - one such law directs the State Board of Health to enact regulations requiring restaurants to have training and post information about food allergies.

I think this is a good change to ensure that more restaurant employees are knowledgeable about food allergies and can appropriately prepare and handle food ordered by patrons with allergies.

To read the new law: https://legiscan.com/VA/text/SB1260/2015

Bill Text (2015-03-23) Restaurants; regulations requiring display of information about food allergies. [Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0528)]

05/19/2015

Food trucks! Yesterday, Governor McAuliffe signed HB 2042, a Virginia law that expands food truck access on many state roads. The bill essentially directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to amend its regulations to allow food trucks to operate on state roads, subject to certain exceptions and subject to additional regulation by localities.

This is part of a growing trend of deregulation in the food industry which can lower barriers of entry for new food producers and sellers and offer a wider variety of local, fresh food to the community. Not to mention, more options for lunch!

Here is the text of the bill in case you are interested: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+CHAP0466. It goes into effect July 1.

04/21/2015

The food movement has only just begun

Great article about the struggles local farmers and food producers still face despite the rise in the farm-to-table and local food movement.

I ran into a farmer I know in December. “I'm not going to make my operating loan in February,” he told me, meaning he might lose his farm to foreclosure. A grower of organic vegetables for 50 of the top restaurants in farm-food-obsessed Portland, Ore., he had lost 4,000 pounds of his car…

04/11/2015

Food Festivals

Attention foodies! Here's a list of upcoming food festivals throughout Virginia -- many with wine as well! Happy eating!
http://www.virginia.org/foodfestivals/

Enjoy the tastes of Virginia at a food festival. Peaches, apples, pumpkins, and a few other specialties await!

04/10/2015

Sabra Dipping Company Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Select SKUs of Its Classic Hummus

In case you haven't seen this, here is the information on the Sabra Hummus recall. So scary! We love this hummus! http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm441863.htm

Today Sabra Dipping Co., LLC announced that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 30,000 cases of its Classic Hummus due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This measure is limited to five SKUs of Classic Hummus sold nationwide.

04/07/2015

Inside the Great Ice Cream Parlor War

If you have time, this is a really interesting read from the Washingtonian about the soap-opera-style drama at Serendipity in Georgetown. As a lawyer, I appreciate this story also for how much it shows the importance of properly setting up a business at the very beginning! These partners, and probably their business as well, would have been far more successful if they had created a partnership agreement that was functional for their needs. Instead, this devolved into bankruptcy, assault, implosion of a business, and divorce. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/inside-the-great-ice-cream-parlor-war/

Fistfights. Lawsuits. $1,000 sundaes. Washington's Serendipity 3 had them all.

03/25/2015

Thanks for the support everyone! Please check out my website, www.vacottagefood.com, in which I am compiling information for home-based food businesses, including an explanation of Virginia's laws in this area as well as tips on starting your own food business. Stay tuned because I am planning on expanding this website to cover more areas of food laws, including farmers markets, labeling requirements, organic certification processes, etc. I'd LOVE any feedback about what will make this site more useful to you all! My goal is to provide a place for food entrepreneurs to get useful information about the laws that apply to their businesses, as I've found that there are not too many resources in Virginia that summarize all of these complex laws. Thanks! :)