Why Are Farm-to-Fork Dinners Viewed as a Public Health Threat?

21 Aug, 2012

by Christine Kapperman, via NewHope 360

Orofino 1.6 Mile Dinner, Similkameen Valley BC. Photo by: Megan Mallen

Farm-to-fork din­ners have sprouted wildly from California wine coun­try to Colorado’s ski coun­try USA to the more rugged coun­try­sides of America. Most of the beau­ti­ful din­ners pass in pas­toral peace, but oth­ers have pit farm inde­pen­dence against gov­ern­ment regulation.

The events fea­tur­ing local foods right in the field where they may have grown, have increas­ingly cap­tured the atten­tion of food­ies, loca­vores and oth­ers with a pen­chant for the often pricey pic­nics. But host farm­ers also have expe­ri­enced the buga­boos of gov­ern­ment reg­u­la­tion as they attempt to com­ply with county zon­ing rules as well as local health codes.

Others choose to fly under the radar, espe­cially after headline-grabbing events such as the Nevada din­ner in which a health inspec­tor demanded orga­niz­ers pour bleach over the food to ensure the event would not continue.

Regulations gone overboard?

One Colorado county gov­ern­ment, though, plans to set the rules before prob­lems poi­son the fun and grow­ing busi­ness oppor­tu­nity. Boulder County, a unique place more likely to see such events as tastemak­ing rather than trou­ble induc­ing, is draft­ing an ag code amend­ment to specif­i­cally allow farm din­ners with­out need for spe­cial review permission.

“We’re aware of farm-to-table din­ners that are occur­ring right now in the county, and they are not explic­itly allowed,” county plan­ner Abby Shannon, who called the din­ners a “gray area” in the cur­rent code, told the Daily Camera news­pa­per. “We haven’t been tested on it either way.”

Click here to read the rest of this arti­cle at NewHope360.com.

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