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Supporters tell committee H.401’s $30,000 threshold would help small Vermont food producers grow
Summary
Hanover Co-op and producers told the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee they back H.401’s $30,000 sales threshold and the bill’s inclusion of value‑added items such as pickled and fermented foods, and urged the Department of Health to provide clear guidance for early‑stage producers.
Members of the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee heard testimony supporting H.401 and its provision to set a $30,000 sales threshold for small food producers, including pickled and fermented goods.
Alan Reitz, director of public and government affairs at Hanover Co-op Food Stores, told the committee his organization purchases about $19,000,000 in local food each year from within a 100‑mile radius, with 65% coming from Vermont producers. “Raising the threshold of $30,000 allows producers to stay focused on quality and community connection,” Reitz said, arguing the higher threshold gives small producers breathing room to test and grow without immediately taking on licensing costs.
Peter, of Hoppy Valley Farm, described his long involvement in pushing for the change and said the Senate amendments largely preserved the bill’s intent while expanding opportunities for value‑added foods. “You can make a certain amount of money selling strawberries for a month or two here in Vermont, but you can make a lot more money selling strawberry jam year round because it's shelf stable,” Peter told the committee. He also urged the Department of Health to collaborate with food makers and to “translate it into a form that Vermonters…who want to be food producers can easily access and understand.”
A committee member asked whether the $30,000 base should be raised further — to $40,000, for example — for all categories rather than only for some. Reitz said he would “certainly keep the base level for all types of product” and suggested a higher base could provide a longer buffer, but he cautioned against making changes that might delay the bill’s passage.
Witnesses and committee members discussed the practical effect of the change for value‑added products, noting that items such as pickled vegetables and fermented foods were specifically added to the list of eligible products in the Senate version. Peter said lists in legislation cannot be fully comprehensive and reiterated the need for the Department of Health to provide clear, accessible operational guidance to producers who call with questions about specific ingredients or processes.
There was no formal vote or committee action recorded during the testimony. Reitz told the committee he would submit his full comments electronically.
