Modifies provisions relating to the selling of raw milk or cream
Summary
HB 849 repeals and reenacts Missouri statutes governing the sale of raw milk and cream, primarily revising definitions and rules within the state’s milk inspection framework. The bill updates terminology for grades of milk and related products, clarifies the role of the State Milk Board and state milk inspection, and restates the categories of milk products covered by the law.
Substantively, the bill continues to prohibit the sale, transport, delivery, or offering for sale of graded fluid milk and milk products unless they are produced, processed, labeled, and sold under state milk inspection and applicable permits. It preserves an exception allowing Missouri-produced Grade A retail raw milk or cream to be sold to grocery stores, restaurants, soda fountains, and similar establishments, and allows individual consumers to buy raw milk or cream directly from a farm for their own use. It also requires annual inspection of bottlers or distributors of Grade A retail raw milk or cream and requires dairy herds producing such milk to be USDA accredited or certified as tuberculosis-free and brucellosis-free, with annual testing while accreditation is pending.
Impact
The bill would amend sections 196.931 and 196.935, RSMo, within Missouri’s dairy and milk sanitation laws. It does not create a new regulatory scheme so much as revise and reenact existing provisions governing raw milk sales, state milk inspection, and herd health requirements. The practical effect is to maintain and clarify the legal conditions under which raw milk or cream may be sold in Missouri, while preserving state oversight through the State Milk Board and related inspection and permitting requirements.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears neutral and regulatory rather than overtly contentious. The bill’s structure suggests an effort to update and clarify existing law rather than to dramatically expand or restrict raw milk sales. No formal vote history or transcript evidence is available here to indicate strong support or opposition.
Contention
The main policy tension in HB 849 is between consumer access to raw milk and public health regulation. Supporters of raw milk sales would likely favor the bill’s explicit allowance for direct farm sales to individual consumers and limited retail sales of Missouri-produced Grade A retail raw milk or cream. Opponents or public health advocates would likely focus on the risks associated with raw milk consumption and the need for strict inspection, labeling, and herd disease controls. The bill addresses that concern by retaining state inspection and USDA disease-free herd requirements, but the provided materials do not show any recorded debate or named opponents.