The Government vs Your Food

There are few things more intimate than sitting around the table to eat with family and friends. But with alarming frequency, government is also demanding a seat at the table. This uninvited guest seeks to dictate what we have on our plates and in our glasses . . . and, ultimately, what we put in our bodies.

But now IJ is fighting back. On November 19, 2013, we launched our National Food Freedom Initiative: a nationwide campaign to end government’s unconstitutional interference in our food choices. With the initiative, IJ will fight for the growing number of small-scale food entrepreneurs and consumers tired of government dictating what foods they can grow, sell and eat.

In this issue of Liberty & Law, you’ll read about the first three cases in the initiative: a property rights challenge to a ban on front-yard vegetable gardens in Miami Shores, Fla.; an economic liberty challenge to Minnesota’s restrictions on the sale of homemade baked goods; and a free speech challenge to Oregon’s ban on the advertisement of “raw”—or unpasteurized—milk.

In a historic first for IJ, we filed these three cases on a single day. The logistical challenges were daunting, but everything went off seamlessly and we accomplished exactly what we set out to accomplish: set the terms of the debate from the get-go.

Of course, this was only the opening salvo in what will be a sustained, nationwide campaign. IJ will not rest until Americans are once again free to produce, market and consume the foods of their choice.

Michael Bindas is an IJ senior attorney.