Senate Resources, 4/8/26, 3:30pm

Do you have a— do you have that definition in code?

Senator.

I don't have it in front of me,

but Ms.

Castordale is correct that potentially hazardous foods are foods that require time or temperature control,

so soup sandwiches,

salads,

or cooked dishes.

Could you repeat those three examples again?

I didn't quite catch what they were.

Sure, yes, Senator.

So potentially hazardous foods are foods that require time or temperature control.

control and an example could be soups, sandwiches,

salads or things like cooked dishes.

All right.

All right, thank you. Senator Cosa.

Thank you. So let me clarify.

So I mean I'm guessing so potentially hazardous homemade food could include anything that has an expiration date is perishable requires microwaving before eating or you wouldn't want to eat unless it's microwaved. Those kinds of things.

Through the chair, Senator, yes, that's correct.

Senator

Excuse me.

Okay. Senator Kozak, this is for those foods that are in reduced oxygen packaging.

That's

the key

point.

Okay.

Okay.

So that's

So that's—

did you have a follow-up?

Second part of my question then

Yes.

would be— so it sounds like a lot of different foods are in that section because I'm just thinking of people that now currently sell under this food exemption now.

And then so the reduced oxygen packaging, would that include something like plastic wrap, Saran Wrap over a

bowl of something, soup?

Ms.

Perry,

would you respond to his question?

Senator Diesell,

Mr.

This is Shawndi Perry with that question for DC.

I thought you could possibly answer the question.

Sure. Yes, I— Shawndi Perry for the record. So reduced oxygen packaging example would be vacuum-sealed products,

vacuum-sealed meat jerky or prepared meals,

or low-acid canned vegetables.

Follow-up Senator Kawasaki.

Yeah, so like if a steak were sous vide.

like it's a pressurized container right and it's all the oxygen's taken out of it they do it now commonly for meals that you cook at home like you can buy them at actually a lot of restaurants actually use them too so they're automatically they're sort of pre-cooked you take them out of the package you throw them in the container and then you just heat it up in the microwave would that be included

Ms. Perry?

Senator Shawndi Perry for the record.

That would—

so I think we're trying to define between potentially hazardous foods and reduced oxygen packaging.

if—

So my understanding of potentially hazardous foods, if a food is prepared in a pressure cooker,

for example, and then taken out and kept at temperature,

that would be a potentially hazardous food and not considered reduced oxygen packaging.

Senator Kawasaki, I will also draw your attention on page 2, line 3,

where the word homemade is articulated. It is a homemade food.

So someone cans their salmon at home.

And the seal, they seal it at home. The example in the Public Health Bulletin is a man that did that,

didn't achieve an adequate seal,

had not brined the fish,

had not pressure cooked the container

to adequately seal it, and consumed it. Okay,

this is for homemade foods that would be put up for sale.

So the reason why I'm asking the questions specifically on what the hazardous food is and then second what the reduced packaging is is that there are some people who've taken advantage of the home's

this exemption and then they do meals at home and then they sell them online for instance if you go to like if you go to your Facebook or whatever you can always find these things and I'm just curious if they're impacted or to what extent they might be impacted they're prepared foods they I don't know that they I don't know whether they do use reduced oxygen packaging or not

Ms. Perry,

do you have a comment on his question?

Yes, Madam Chair.

Johnny Perry for the record.

If it would help the committee,

I'd be happy to get back with the program and provide a response in writing and maybe that could better articulate for senators.

Thank you, Ms. Freeborn.

Uh, the public health department regulator that oversees this homemade food provision

is not available today for invited testimony, but you have heard her testimony. Do you have any recall that might help Senator Kawasaki today?

Madam Chair,

or through the Chair,

Senator Kawasaki,

my understanding is that it would restrict the packaging utilized.

specifically not the food sold but the packaging used as far as vacuum sealed containers or jars.

Sarah Lewis from the UAF Cooperative Extension has provided me with a list of low oxygen packaging.

If that is helpful,

I'd be happy to provide that.

The list is as follows, vacuum sealed plastic bags, jars that have been processed with heat to pasteurize the food and jar and create a vacuum sealed lid when cooled,

jars and containers that have been vacuum sealed themselves,

jars that have not been processed with heat but allowed to or excuse me, but are allowed to vacuum seal by using the residual heat of the contents, so that would be

be like a water bath canning is

Okay, thanks.

All right, Senator Rauscher.

So thank you. So speaking in favor of the bill, I appreciate the bill,

by the way. I do appreciate your bill.

But I will have a question.

In the statement, the sponsor's statement,

I'm trying to understand where we're at as far as the state of Alaska.

It says in the fourth paragraph, during the eight years between 2017 and 2024,

24 cases of foodborne botulism were reported in Alaska,

which has one of the highest rates in the United States, often accounting for as many as 50% of the cases reported in the United States in a single year.

Were the foods prepared in Alaska or were they just consumed in Alaska?

Ms. Freeborn.

Thank you. Through the chair,

Senator Rauscher,

my understanding is the cases are from Alaska Native traditional foods, with the exception of the case from August of 2019 of the home canned salmon in Alaska.

prepared in Alaska.

Oh, through the chair.

Thank you. Through all 24 cases.

Ms.

Freeborn?

My apologies, through the chair.

If I could,

I would like to confirm that number with you at a later date.

Senator Rauscher.

Thank you.

fair. You bet.

You bet. All right.

Senator Wilkowski.

It sounded like when you were describing the process, you said water baths. You make jelly with water baths typically.

It sounds like that would be excluded from,

or that sounds like that would be included in this definition,

or is that not the case?

Through the chair,

Senator Willikowski,

I do have a list provided to me by the OAF Cooperative Extension.

Berries, jams, jellies, and other sweet spreads would be allowable under the exemption because they are listed under high acid foods.

Okay, so just to

follow-up,

clarify,

Senator

so just

Wilkowski,

following through on the definition,

so they're not considered a potentially hazardous homemade food?

Ms Freeborn?

Through the chair,

Senator Wielechowski,

low

potentially hazardous foods as listed in the UAF Cooperative Extension handout,

low acid salsa,

fruits or spreads,

the handout here lists high acid foods, excuse me, lists fruits,

jams and jellies under high acid foods.

So I would

Based off of this handout, I would not consider them a low acid or potentially hazardous food.

And for clarification,

no, jams, jellies, etc.

are not included as high hazardous foods.

Thank you.

Pardon me?

Unless it's made out of meat, you should make a meat jelly.

Uh,

Okay.

Further questions?

All right, seeing none, there is the intention to have Sarah Lewis present.