Georgia’s Food Laws

Georgia is one of many states that are now introducing “food freedom” bills in their state legislatures in order to protect small farmers from the increased food safety regulations recently signed into law. The food freedom bills would stop strict governmental regulations on food produced and sold from small sources like bake sales and community potlucks—even a person’s backyard. Georgia specifically has introduced two bills—one calls for the right to grow one’s own food and the other would prohibit any unprocessed produce (tomatoes at a community farmers’ market, for example) from government regulation. These bills are also in response to growing concerns for small farmers—last year a Georgia man was fined $5,000 for growing too many vegetables on his own property.