Maryland Department of Health looks for farmers’ input on new food permit regulation

Westover, Md. – New Maryland legislation passed in April will change regulations on how farmers can conduct food service at their farms. House Bill 272, which passed in April, allows farmers to apply for an annual permit for on-site food service rather than the 30-day permit they can apply for up to two times in one year.

Dr. Clifford Mitchell, director of the Environmental Health Bureau at the Maryland Department of Health, said the change would allow for more flexibility for farmers that host events year-round.

“Some farms we know operate in several seasons,” he said. “They might do a fall crop where they have people come and partake in that activity. They might do Christmas trees, they might have a spring berry season.”

He said state officials are working with local health departments and farmers to learn how to write regulations that act as clear, helpful guidelines that maintain public safety and optimize growth for farmers.

“We’re trying to understand exactly how it is that we can craft regulations that will allow them to function and still protect public health,” Mitchell said.

Those at the Maryland Department of Agriculture say they have heard from farmers seeking regulations that aren’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

“The idea of this license is to create a stepping stone or an opportunity for agricultural businesses to expand into food service, in a way that is conducive to the uniqueness of farm infrastructure and the underlying agricultural operation,” Martin Proulx said. Proulx is the chief of marketing and agricultural development at the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Mitchell said the line between a farm that sells some of its produce on site and a full-blown restaurant is something the departments want to define with local growers and officials.

Officials aim to have public comments submitted by Sept. 1 so that there is time to finalize a draft of the regulation language before the law is implemented on Jan. 31 2027. The next meeting will be a virtual “hot topics” meeting held on Aug. 4.