President elect of Vacep in support of HB 309

Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee, Voices for Virginia's Children supports HB 610 to establish the Commonwealth Food Security and Coordination Act. This past year, illuminated the hidden hunger within our communities and need for state-level systems to coordinate food access across departments. For these reasons we urge you to support this bill.

Food choice is at the very root of democracy. As a result, it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us to support the sovereignty of making choices as a consumer that will benefit our health. Nationally, we are finally having this discussion-albeit, one riddled with partisanship and controversy. Let us make no mistake about it. There is no junk food. There is junk. And there is food. As a consumer who understands the myopic consequences of choosing the junk and having to navigate through a maze of regulations to choose the REAL, I urge you to allow the citizens of the Commonwealth to choose for themselves what constitutes a life in which they may thrive. Let us become a shining example of practices that honor the land and her people.

Please vote for HB 656 to strengthen mental health parity in Virginia. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, public sector professional and someone who has experienced the impact on mental health challenges on loved ones, it is critical that treatment access is a priority not left as a challenge to individuals who seek help. Behavioral health is HEALTH- timely access to necessary services saves lives. Hold insurance companies accountable to parity and network adequacy standards. Force them to remove un-necessary administrative barriers that undercut behavioral health providers and the medically necessary work they perform. It is time that Mental Health Parity requirements are fully implemented in Virginia

As a licensed counselor in Virginia with over 30 years of experience, I can attest to how difficult it is for many residents to access counseling through their insurance in a reasonable timeframe. Inadequate behavioral health networks and long delays in care are common, even when individuals are motivated to seek help. Delayed or unavailable mental health care can worsen depression and anxiety, contribute to physical symptoms, and increase the risk of crisis. Many of these situations could be mitigated if individuals with emerging or urgent mental health needs were able to see a licensed clinician promptly, rather than relying on emergency rooms as a last resort. HB 656 addresses these challenges by strengthening network adequacy standards and requiring greater accountability from insurers. Treating behavioral health according to the same standards as physical health care would improve access for consumers and encourage more clinicians to participate in insurance networks. For all of these reasons, I hope that the legislature will adopt HB 656.

The Charlottesville Mental Health Consortium strongly supports this bill. As a group of mental health providers who are keenly aware of the difficulty citizens have in receiving mental health services due to lack of parity, we support this effort to enhance enforcement of the mental health parity standards.

As a mental health provider in the state of Virginia who has observed the many ways in which insurance providers are ignoring the mental health parity law I strongly urge this committee to move this bill forward

Virginia continues to rank near the bottom of all the states in access to a mental health professional, and it's getting worse as more professionals stop taking insurance. Increased enforcement of parity laws is needed so more providers will be available to people in need of help. Having worked in mental health awareness and advocacy for several years, I have heard the stories from so many people just wanting to feel better and not escalate into crisis. This bill will help.

As a mental health private practice owner and licensed clinical social worker that provides remote mental health therapy in the state of Virginia and who has observed the many ways in which insurance providers are ignoring the mental health parity law I strongly urge this committee to move this bill forward.

We support HB 656. The attached testimony provides more detailed comments. Thank you.

Please support this initiative to provide relief to our police departments that are short staffed state wide. This bill is a companion bill to Senator Lucas' SB75, which has cleared the Senate and has been sent to the House. • There exists an acute need to provide relief and support to our public safety departments throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in addressing the execution of Temporary Detention Orders (TDOs) and Emergency Custody Orders (ECOs). • Due to the amount of time it takes to carry out these orders our public safety departments have been in need of assistance with these means of transport for more than twenty years. • Although some pilot programs for alternative transportation providers were established through the "Special Deed’s Commission", no permanent solution has been implemented. • During the “Special Deed’s Commission’s” meetings the suggestion was considered to employ the use of retired law enforcement officers to transport TDOs and ECOs, but no action was taken. • This Special Deed’s Commission last met in 2017, and unfortunately, since the conclusion of this Commission, the need for increased resources for alternative transportation services remains; and law enforcement staff shortages has only worsened the strains as officers spend extended periods of time executing these orders, impacting their ability to serve their communities. • While it is imperative that the Commonwealth provide these essential transport services to ensure the humane and efficient processing of individuals subject to these orders, it is also imperative to provide the relief and reduce the strain on our public safety officers. • Therefore, in an effort to better aid our citizens in need and reduce the strain on our public safety officers, we ask for favorable consideration of this bill.

Food establishment inspection exemptions; private homes and farms. A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-5130 and 15.2-2288.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to food establishment inspection exemptions; private homes and farms. I urge passage of this bill to remove burdensome restrictions on home or farm sales of food. Health, including mental health, is enhanced by the availability of nourishing food.

I request that you pass HB 699.

I support the passage of HB699. We need more food resilience and our local farmers need the ability to sell more products without over regulation. Thank you for your consideration.

I support HB699 and ask that you also support it. Thanks You

Public health and safety are vital and protecting and ensuring perishable meat and milk products for human consumption is paramount. Allowing the sale and purchase of raw, un-pasteurized, uninspected meat and milk puts all consumers and the public at risk. Young children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. All public health organizations and research universities warn against consuming raw, unpasteurized, uninspected meat and milk. Our food industries work daily to provide dependable, wholesome, safe products. Please do not damage this system of protecting human health or undermine and destroy the guard rails that have been in place--for years--for good, sound, scientific reason. We urge you to oppose HB 699. Virginia Cattlemen's Association

Please pass HB699. I am the Kerrs Creek Supervisor on the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors. HB699, and others like it, that enable local farms to make and sell value added products would be a great help in supporting our farms, in growing our local economy, and in food system resilience. I'm also a member of the Rockbridge County Farm Bureau board of directors. The Farm Bureau almost always opposes bills like this. If they do, you need to ignore them. They are wrong on most of the issues that relate to on farm sales. I'm also a farmer. My wife and I sell produce, USDA inspected meats, and baked goods at a Farmers Market we host on our farm. This market supports 10 other farms. Expanding the products we can offer to include those covered under HB699 helps us earn more through selling value-added products, attract more customers, and serve our customers better. It also helps us pay more in sales taxes to our county and the Commonwealth. Please support local farms. We don't need money. We don't need programs. We just need permission.

I am writing to support HB699. Having access to food from a local farmer/homemaker/artisan, whole or minimally processed, is truly one of the blessings I treasure the most. It feels healthy because I can trust what I am purchasing and putting into my body; it feels economical because fair dollars are being exchanged within a community to the mutual benefit of neighbors; it feels environmentally sustainable because inputs and resources used on both sides of the exchange are fairly simple; and it feels friendly because, with every transaction, there is a smile and a bit of conversation. All of these facets of direct farmer to consumer sales positively affect behavioral health as the entirety of the production process and exchange is good for the spirit ~ surpassed only perhaps by raising, growing and producing foods oneself. Having governmental inspectors in people's homes and on their farms will only hinder a system that will work wonderfully if left to do as it will. Thank you.

This bill is an amazing opportunity for home based food producers like myself through our homestead. It would allow us to expand our products and further reach our local communities. I fully support this bill.

Right now Virginia food and farming are in a crisis trajectory. The average farmer is 60 years old. Who will farm for us in the future? The number one impediment to young farmer entry is viable farm profitability. Roughly 75 percent of all the food Virginians eat is convenience, meaning it’s prepared outside the home. Tapping into that market is the entry profitability key for a new generation of farmers. All the big brands like Tyson, Perdue, Bob Evans, etc. started in the 1930s and 1940s by entrepreneurs from the back of their pickup trucks. Tomorrow’s innovators depend on the same opportunity, but that option has closed largely due to scale-prejudicial food safety regulations. As industrial scale food systems built up behind razor wire and guard towers, consumers asked for goverrnment agencies to protect their interests over the fence. What happened is the regulators and big corporations went to bed together. This issue hinges on safety and trust. Direct farm-to-consumer sales enjoy transparent vetting similar to Uber and Airbnb. Real time vetting via the democratized real time audit has now reimbedded the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker in a relational platform. Food needs to use the information superhighway like every other economic sector is using it, to free farmers and their neighbors from the shackles of food police who prohibit two consenting adults exercising freedom of choice from engaging in a voluntary food transcation. This is not about safety. All other hazardous substances have a blanket prohibition on selling, buying, using, and gifting. But on food, the prohibition is ONLY on the seller; you can buy it, give it away, use it as a donation to the local fire company fundraiser for someone else to buy, take it to church potlucks and feed it to your children. What is it about exchganging money that turns a benevolent patriotic charitable act into a hazardous substance and criminal offense? Consumers yearn for alternatives to WalMart and 1,500-mile chains of custody. Local food is artificially expensive due to scale prejudicial infrastructure and licensure requirements. In many areas, local ordinances even prohibit commercial kitchens, calling them manufacturing enterprises in agricultural zones. This denies entry to thousands of aspiring young Virginia farmers, denies consumers choice for food that doesn’t contain 10,000 chemical additives, and denies our farmland an alternative profitability pathway. Freedom and transparency always fuel truth more than overburdensome regulation and tyranny. Take the shackles off our enslaved food system. Thank you.

Freedom to choose the food you eat is a private matter, including where one sources it. However, many Americans are comfortable consuming food from sources they are unfamiliar with. At the forefront of what HB699 is going to help "restore", is the difference between "private" and "public" food choices. Much of the Federal and State legislation that regulates how food is produced, processed and sold to consumers is related to the "public" domain. The "public" domain is that in which the source of the food is not easily known to the consumer, and can create concerns over safety; and rightly so. The "private" domain is that in which the producer and consumer of food have a direct relationship and hold one another accountable. Today, the vast majority of Americans have given up their right to choose a direct relationship with producers, and instead rely on the Federal and State governments to protect them from the risk of harm from using a faceless commercialized food system. And while this type of system may require oversight to protect those who participate, it has eroded the alternative choice to use personal agency in dealing with one another privately in matters related to our food. Lastly, many Americans are seeing the health risks in using the large commercialized food system in the U.S. and opting for more local sources for their food. But, they fear the false narrative that unregulated food sources are dangerous; when in fact the opposite is true. A vote for HB699 is a vote for private citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia to enjoy building relationships with local producers and artisans that bring nutrient dense foods into their homes. I hope you will support this bill. Thank you.

I support the bill HB699 because the bill will affect me and my food choices. I want to have more local food choices, hopefully organic and at the same time it could help a small startup producer or farmer with their business. Thank you. Please pass this bill.

As a farmer I would love to see this bill passed. hB699

I urge you to support HB699, which is a huge benefit to small scale producers in VA. Small family farms and homesteads need more options to sell directly to consumers from their farm without overbearing regulations. These regulations are made for large producers not small family farms. As a state we must prioritize our local food sources and support small homesteads that want to expand. It is the only way to have true food security, build strong communities, support regenerative agricultural practices, and raise healthy children. As a Chapter Leader for the Weston A Price Foundation I hear from many families in my community trying to find local farms to buy quality food from. Many families are dealing with chronic health issues and are realizing that they need to get back to basics eating organic whole food instead of the overprocessed items that line the shelves of grocery stores. Vote yes to take a step forward in building healthy communities, healthy children and allow small scale farmers to make enough profit to expand!

This bill in incredibly important for small family farms if they are going to hold onto their property and be able to produce healthy food for their community. The regulations make sense for large scale producers, but there is no way a small farm can follow all of those regulations. Our community wants to purchase items directly from small producers in their local community. They get to know the farmers, build relationship and farmers can meet the needs of their community. This is how we build healthy communities and support local small scale producers. Many people want to know where their food comes from and want to go directly to the farm. Please Vote Yes and support local small farms!!

Please support HB699, which will assist homesteads and small family farms to provide on farm sales. During COVID as well as the current weather event we see empty shelves of staples that families use on a daily basis. The more small family farms we have in our community the better they can meet the needs of their local community and create resiliency in our local food system. Small scale producers can’t be financially viable when they have to follow unnecessary regulations that are needed for large scale producers. When you go directly to the farm to buy items it builds relationships, builds strong communities, supports small family farms and our community gets much healthier local food! Vote yes!!

The HB699 is important to me for several reasons! I was introduced to wholesome healthy organic food several years ago and it impacted my overall health in such a positive way. First I lost a great amount of weight. I was able to avoid having to take medications to sustain my health. My blood pressure and weight dropped to normal range. My overall wellbeing improved dramatically. Second, I run a small business so the HB699 bill will help me to support small businesses which helps the small business owner survive and thrive and feed their family which helps the economy. The HB699 bill also enriches the communities where the small business owners are able to sell and grow their products. The HB699 bill will aid industry of making things locally by helping to build and strengthen community as well. Which in turn helps to teach younger generations the value of hard work and being a positive influence on one’s community. Thank you for your time and consideration in passing the HB699!

As the Executive Director of the Virginia Farmers Market Association, we represent 365 farmers markets and over 20,000 farmers, producers and value added product vendors at Virginia Farmers Markets. We stringently oppose this bill as it promotes practices that are not in line with general food safety for VA Grown and produced foods and products for retail sale . This bill also creates a tremendous liability risk for not only the home /farm vendor operating under these new proposed regulations but also to all small businesses selling at farmers markets and other small retail food businesses . In addition to liability, by not aligning with federal food safety regulations, these businesses operating under these new proposed regulations will not be able to acquire liability insurance -thus putting themselves and their financial stability at risk . And, this proposed legislation will undermine consumer confidence in buying from local businesses as consumers inherently assume that all food businesses Selling in a retail environment meet the same food safety regulations and requirements as the products sold in the grocery store . Because of these issues , as well as others not mentioned, the Virginia Farmers Market Association opposes HB 699.

I support HB699 because our community is dependent on the food cottage industry with our local farmers and food vendors providing exceptional high-quality, environmentally sustainable, 100% made-in-America food products to our local community. Our community is defined by small town values, and neighbors helping and trusting neighbors. The food cottage industry is mutually beneficial to our consumers and producers, and we need HB699 for the financial, health, and community benefits it will provide to Nelson county rural residents and farmers.

This new law would boost the local economy by expanding accessibility for Virginians to buy direct and keep the money right here in Virginia. It would free small farmers and home producers from burdensome rules that prevent them currently from being able to make farming and/or food production a viable activity. This would protect and preserve the local food shed, restoring faith in the Virginia food system as Virginians gain more access to local foods directly. This bill will foster local economic growth, food security, and build resiliency within our commonwealth's food system.

Please vote in favor of this bill. Much home produced foods are minimally processed and have no chemicals that are known to create behavioral and neurological problems in children, which many parents are seeking. Parents of children with food sensitivities need this option to find alternative food for their families.

The support of this bill will allow Virginia farmers to expand their products and increase their profits. It will remove burdensome regulations and allow consumers to obtain access to more clean artisanal foods direct from the producer in their own towns and neighborhoods. This keeps Virginia dollars in Virginia and Virginia businesses and farmers succeeding and prospering. Food Freedom, BUY LOCAL, and clean real food is increasingly important to more and more families and each year farmer's markets swell with new local producers and people connect food with health and sustainability. Thank you to the patrons of this bill, Delegates Zehr, Hamiliton, Garrett, Griffin, and I strongly encourage and expect all committee members to support HB699.

I support the passing of this bill to restore faith in our food system as Virginians gain more access to local foods directly and to boost local economies. Please give Virginians more access to fresh, local food and support small farmers. Thank you!

I support th bright to buy foods from private homes and farms. Please support HB 699, to allow individuals to make more choices about food purchases. I support small home based bussiness and small farms. This bill would add diversity and increased income for small bussinesses.

Research shows that highly processed foods are not good for human health. By supporting HB699 you will allow many more minimally processed foods made from fresh, locally sourced, ingredients to be made available to the local community. This bill respects consumer choice while supporting local producers, families, and small businesses who rely on clear, fair regulations to operate sustainably. Please support HB699.

Delegates, I don't know why this bill landed in Behavioral Health, but being as it did, may I state that the food you eat, can definitely affect your behavior. More and more research points to good nutrition or the lack there of as having a substantial impact on behavior and mental health. The effects of highly (ultra) processed foods being indicted as a major culprit in this regard. By supporting HB699 you will allow many more minimally processed foods made from fresh, locally sourced, ingredients to be made available to the local community. It is not really possible to produce ultra processed type foods on the farm or in a home kitchen so it would impact foods being more nutrient rich; thus supporting improved health. On another point, many small farmers, urban farmers, homesteaders, thinking of becoming home food processors, as a way to market, their excess, are totally intimidated by the permitting and inspection process; so never venture to get started, or they ignore current regulations and attempt to operate in a hidden or under the table manor thus being in the constant situation of feeling guilty for operating illegally as scofflaws. This limits any ability for them to openly advertise or supply an increase in consumers base for fear being in conflict with the law ; so severely limiting their potential benefit to themselves and or their community. Please aggregate this, with the positive points made in other comments / testimony as you consider supporting HB699.

RE: HB699: I operate a small pasture-based farm in the Shenandoah Valley. While we are best known for our poultry and hog production, our deeper mission is to educate and empower Virginians to have greater control over their own food, including the knowledge and confidence to raise, care for, and — when appropriate — harvest their own animals for personal household use. Over the last several years, we have witnessed growing public interest in food transparency, humane handling, and meaningful participation in food systems. Many families express anxiety and confusion about where their food comes from and what regulations actually allow them to do for themselves. Our educational work exists to reduce that anxiety by helping people build competence, community, and clarity around these issues. HB699 matters in that context, because it brings needed transparency to an area of Virginia law where ambiguity currently exists. Under federal and state interpretation, there are established concepts distinguishing commercial slaughter for sale from personal household use, but the practical application of these distinctions for Virginia citizens is often unclear, particularly when it comes to the education, ownership, and processing of personal livestock. This ambiguity creates barriers for those of us whose role is primarily educational, not commercial processing. Farm-based educational models are cautious to operate within the law, but the gray areas surrounding “personal use livestock” limit our ability to teach Virginians how to responsibly raise, handle, and harvest their own animals — skills that many families actively seek out for personal, cultural, nutritional, or ethical reasons. From a behavioral health perspective, HB699 aligns with the subcommittee’s charge in three meaningful ways: 1. Reduces stress and anxiety by clarifying what Virginians are allowed to do for themselves. 2. Increases personal agency, which is strongly associated with improved mental well-being. 3. Strengthens social connection and rural community resilience, as families learn and practice food skills together. HB699 does not expand commercial processing or bypass inspection. It simply provides legal clarity for personal choice in a space already recognized in federal law as distinct from commerce. For educators, families, and small farms, that clarity is not trivial — it is essential. For these reasons, I respectfully ask that the committee report HB699 favorably. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

As a small-scale farmer and a purchaser from many small farms, I fully support this bill.

I wholeheartedly support HB 699 because it reflects a practical, community-centered approach to policy that balances accountability, individual responsibility, and public benefit. This bill respects consumer choice while supporting local producers, families, and small businesses who rely on clear, fair regulations to operate sustainably. Importantly, HB 699 preserves individual freedom. Those who do not support or agree with the practices addressed in this bill retain the option not to participate or purchase locally. In a free market, choice is a powerful tool, and this legislation allows consumers to make decisions aligned with their values without imposing unnecessary restrictions on others. As an educator, business owner, and community member, I have seen firsthand how thoughtful legislation can strengthen local economies, encourage transparency, and support working families. HB 699 promotes these outcomes by reducing barriers to local enterprise while maintaining appropriate oversight and accountability. I appreciate that this bill prioritizes fairness, flexibility, and respect for differing viewpoints. Policies like HB 699 help ensure communities can thrive while honoring both economic freedom and personal choice. I strongly encourage continued support for this legislation. Respectfully, Jessica J. Andrew Fairfield, Virginia

I am commenting in support of this bill. It would make a huge difference to me in my community here in Rockbridge County. I am the manager of a local farmers market, which we hope to grow into a general store. It is our mission to bring local food to our local community, and the removal of restrictive regulations regarding direct to consumer sales would be a huge benefit to our small business. We are surrounded by farmers who have lots of product to sell, but find it difficult due to overbearing regulation. This bill would have an economic impact for our community in addition to the benefit of securing our local system.

Very interested to see this Bill 699 passed out of committee favorably and passed in the Assembly. People should have the right to feed themselves without the government involved then dealing directly with the farmer who produced it. Thanks for your support

I am in full support of this bill which builds on the tenants of freedom of choice, fostering resilient communities, and preserving our agricultural communities with direct and tangible community involvement through both commerce and educational opportunities that come from direct engagement with the farmers whom labor to feed us. Please vote yes.

This legislation is absolutely need to allow people to freedom to prepare and/or purchase food by people in their community. If my neighbor bakes bread for me or provides me with eggs. This should occur without any government interference. This legislation strengthens communities and allows for people to obtain products that are made close to home with real products and not the over processed grains and/or additives and preservatives that are harming our bodies.

The CDC reports that over the time of Covid when public commerce came to a screeching halt, foodborne illness in our country dropped over 65%. This is one of the most clearest records that cooking food in our homes is not the safety risk lobbyists try to frame it as when opposing the freedom of citizens to exercise their most basic freedom of autonomy, in choosing which foods they wish to put in their bodies. This bill isn’t about giving us a right we never had, it’s about restoring the rights and dignity of a free people to choose how they want to nurture their bodies without the government imposing their will on their bodily autonomy. My body, my choice.

This bill will provide opportunities for local Virginia farmers to offer healthful and artisanal foods directly to Virginians who value fresh and locally produced foods and want to know where their food comes from. It will thus provide greater food security when national supply chains are threatened or shut down. And it will enhance Virginia's economy by keeping transactions within the local economy. It will be a win-win for all Virginians and diversify and protect Virginia's agricultural heritage.

I wholeheartedly support this bill as a means of improving local food supply, accessibility for all and encouraging small business owners.

I have been coming with "Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association" to the VA General Assembly for over 20 yrs. The original VICFA "Kitchen Bill" passed in 2008, allowing certain food products to be manufactured in an uninspected home kitchen. The success of the bill was because only DIRECT SALES between producer and consumer were allowed. The consumer could inspect a neighbor's kitchen and if satisfied, then buy the products. 2014: the range of products allowed was extended to include products such as pickles, salsa, granola, trail mixes, dried herbs and more. Many people started successfully selling artisanal products to achieve an additional income stream, at the same time supplying their community with healthy homemade foods. However, the TYPE OF PRODUCTS allowed to be manufactured this way are still VERY RESTRICTED. Nothing containing meats, or anything requiring refrigeration is allowed to be made in a home kitchen then sold, so no meatloaf, quiche, cheesecake and other protein rich foods. This bill would address that issue. If people have a "family recipe" or specialties they make for their families they could produce and sell those items, creating additional income and fulfilling a demand from others who don't have the time or the talent to "cook from scratch". Looking at the Fiscal Impact Statement, it states that no Budget Amendment is necessary. It also states that this bill "may result in a fiscal impact to VDACS", which could be up to $36,760 right now, if ALL 919 currently permitted home food processors decided to use the proposed exemption and stopped paying the annual $40 fee. It is unlikely that once permitted, a person would go back to making "uninspected" products as most become permitted SO THEY CAN SELL TO STORES, and sell more product THAN IF SELLING DIRECT to the end consumer, so I believe VDACS would be minimally impacted. The Virginia Dept of Health: no fiscal impact anticipated from this bill. On 8/19/25 Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced "Virginia Food Access Investment Fund" awards: 10 grants for established businesses totaling over $1,000,000 "to support greater access to fresh & nutritious foods in underserved and/or low income communities". That is a LOT of money spent. Why not also allow people to grow an income, selling neighbors whatever homemade foods they want, and keeping the food dollars in the community? NO COST to the TAXPAYER! Improving self-worth, pride, community spirit, purpose in life, your housing situation or whatever, is difficult to measure in dollars. Working at your own small business is a way to build and strengthen relationships in your community that bring unexpected benefits to all. 2015: Wyoming passed a "Food Freedom Act", amended over the years so homemade food producers CAN sell MEAT PRODUCTS so long as made from inspected meats. NOT A SINGLE CASE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS HAS OCCURRED from food sold under this law. Farmers Markets have increased by 70% over the last 5 years. (Institute of Justice website). I believe the suggested threat of federal funding being lost for meat inspection in Virginia, or for the " FDA/Human Food Inspections" is merely a scare tactic, to deter legislative action to approve a bill such as this. WY still receives federal funding for meat inspections. Please consider voting FOR this bill as people should be able to just get the food they want and pay the cook for making it. SIMPLE. Thank you

I am asking you to support/vote for HB699 This bill will foster local economic growth, food security, and build resiliency within the states food system. Virginia farmers and home producers will be able to sell what they produce directly to the consumer with on farm sales, unburdened by regulations meant for third party sales. Any food that is produced on the farm or home and can be bought directly, with agreement, from the farmer or neighbor for their own personal consumption.

- The new law would boost the local economy, by expanding accessibility for consumers to buy direct and keeping the money here in Virginia and also taxes to the local economy by encouraging people to buy locally. - Restore faith in our food system as Virginians gain more access to local foods directly. - Food autonomy restores the right to choose to who produces your food without oversight. - Protect and preserve the local food shed, much of our food is supplied by other countries and some companies are no longer owned here in the U.S. Know where your food comes from! All of these apply to the VA legislature as well as the rest of Virginians, ensuring good food for everyone and whilst it is the goal of those that take money from Big Pharma and big Ag, this would promote better health by allowing people to buy food free of pesticides, non-GMO food and also support regenerative farming that raises the health of the land and reduces the runoff of these chemicals into the water supply that you and we drink and does not get taken out by regular water treatment plants. Whatever affects Virginians, affects everyone in Richmond too. You are as affected and poisoned as are your children and families.

Please support the bill protect local farmer's

I support HB699 for the following reasons: The new law would boost the local economy, by expanding accessibility for consumers to buy direct and keeping the money here in Virginia. Restore faith in our food system as Virginians gain more access to local foods directly. Food autonomy restores the right to choose to who produces your food without oversight. Protect and preserve the local food shed, much of our food is supplied by other countries and some companies are no longer owned here in the U.S. Know where your food comes from!