USA: Maine voters to consider right to food constitutional amendment
United States
Published Nov 3, 2021
Tridge summary
On Tuesday, Maine voters will consider amending the state constitution to guarantee every resident’s right to food, defined as the ability to “grow, raise, harvest, produce, and consume the food of their own choosing,” as long as it doesn’t involve trespassing, stealing, poaching, or other illegal activities. If passed, it would mark the first constitutional amendment of its kind in the United States. But it’s not immediately clear what the amendment would actually do.
Original content
Proponents of the amendment, who have spent years advocating for it, argue that it will allow farmers to continue saving and exchanging seeds while enshrining the rights of hunters and fishermen. (Neither seed-saving nor hunters’ rights are under current direct threat from new laws or regulations.) More broadly, supporters say the amendment would support relocalizing the food system and challenge corporate control of the food supply. “It safeguards essential freedom while protecting against abuse. It’s Maine food and government by the people, of the people, and for the people of Maine,” said Heather Retberg, livestock farmer and co-author of the bill, in a statement provided to The Counter. Opponents have raised concerns about food safety and animal welfare. They worry the amendment could challenge state and local laws and allow people to raise animals in their backyards in inhumane conditions. “A constitutional law supersedes any existing law when it’s passed. It’s not going to ...
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