HB699 • 2026

Food establishment inspection exemptions; private homes and farms.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-5130 and 15.2-2288.6 of the Code of Virginia, relating to food establishment inspection exemptions; private homes and farms.</p>

Agriculture

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Zehr
Last action: 2026-02-03
Official status: In House
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify the exact wording of the label, only that it must include certain information.

Food Inspection Exemptions for Private Homes and Farms

This bill changes Virginia law to exempt private homes and farms from food establishment inspections when selling certain foods directly to individuals if the food is labeled properly.

What This Bill Does

Exempts private homes and farms from required food inspection rules when selling specific types of food directly to individuals for personal use, provided the food is labeled properly.

Who It Names or Affects

People who sell homemade or farm-produced foods directly to individuals in Virginia.

Terms To Know

food establishment: A place where food is prepared, processed, packed, or held for sale.
labeling requirements: Rules about what information must be on the packaging of a product.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not cover meat products, poultry products, and milk or dairy products.
It is unclear how this will affect local health regulations in Virginia cities and counties.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB699AHC1

2026-02-03

Health and Human Services Amendment

Plain English: The amendment to HB699 adds specific exemptions for certain types of food products from inspection requirements when they are prepared and sold under particular conditions.

Exempts meat products, poultry products, and milk or dairy products from the general exemption clause in § 3.2-5130.
Removes a reference to 'and' that is no longer needed after the first change.
Adds new language allowing meat food products and poultry products prepared by an official establishment to be sold under certain conditions.

The amendment's text does not provide full details on all aspects of how these exemptions will work in practice, such as specific requirements for selling meat or poultry products from official establishments.

Bill History

2026-02-03 Behavioral Health
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-29 Behavioral Health
Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely (6-Y 2-N)
2026-01-27 Behavioral Health
Assigned sub: Behavioral Health
2026-01-27 General Laws
Referred from General Laws and referred to Health and Human Services (Voice Vote)
2026-01-26 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB699)
2026-01-13 House
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103808D
2026-01-13 General Laws
Referred to Committee on General Laws

Official Summary Text

Food establishment inspection exemptions; private homes and farms.
Exempts from required food establishment operation inspections any private home or farm where the resident or farmer processes, prepares, or otherwise produces food if such food is (i) sold in person in the Commonwealth to an individual for his own consumption and not for resale or consignment; (ii) sold at the private home or farm; (iii) not offered for sale to be used in or offered for consumption in retail food establishments; and (iv) affixed with a label placed on the principal display panel or, for a product packaging not large enough to bear such a label, offered for sale with a sign displaying the name, physical address, and telephone number of the person preparing the food, the date the food was processed, and the statement "NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION."

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 699

SUBCOMMITTEE

1. Line 72, introduced, after
food
[first instance]

insert

other than meat products and poultry products as defined in
3.2-5400
and milk or dairy products as defined in 2VAC5-
531-10
which are otherwise unlawful to sell

SUBCOMMITTEE

2. Line 74, introduced, after
establishments;

strike

and

SUBCOMMITTEE

3. Line 78, introduced, after
INSPECTION

strike

."

insert

" and (v) if such food is a meat food product or poultry product as defined in
3.2-5400
and such meat food product or poultry product is prepared by an official establishment as defined in §
3.2-5400
, it may be sold in accordance with this subdivision.