The drama and quick problem solving at the Wise Traditions Conference.

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November 1, 2024

Miller's Bio Farm attended the Weston A. Price Foundation's annual Wise Traditions Conference in Orlando, FL last weekend.

Overall, we had an awesome time. But... the trip didn't come without some food freedom drama. This time (for once), it had nothing to do with raw milk or the laws. It was the Marriot's policies that held us back.

Here's the story...

After a 15 hour drive, the farm team arrived on Thursday with a trailer filled with all of our amazing natural food. At every other event we've attended, we've been able to keep perishables in the venue's cooler and freezer. Not this time! We were told by the hotel that we cannot store it inside.

We couldn't let the food go to waste! We scrambled and rented a refrigerated truck that evening.

At this point, we knew there was going to be more trouble.

The next morning, we were told the reason why.

The Marriot does not allow any dairy, meat, or ferments to be sold, served, or given away that's not from one of their vendors (like Cisco). We couldn't even keep a sealed example product on the table to display. It was a liability thing (in other words, corporate greed).

And this was despite the fact that all of our food is 100% certified and legal. And, we were required to have $5M worth of insurance to be there. It was just awful.

They wouldn't allow a waiver (they said there wasn't enough time). They didn't care if the food went to waste (not their problem). They didn't sympathize with the fact that the people there simply won't or physically can't eat the hotel's conventional food (not sure what's happened to humanity).

Our food was not allowed on premises.

So we thought fast.

On Friday morning, we quickly opened a pickup location outside the hotel. It was a 30 second walk away, about 2 feet off their property on the side of the road. So... people purchased at our booth inside and then walked outside to get their food.

Kinda hilarious... but within the Marriot's rules.

We even hosted a super fun milk and cookies party outside at the pickup location!

At the same time, many conference attendees motivated and spoke with hotel management. I think even Congressman Massie (a keynote speaker) reached out. They explained why we were all gathered together, the importance of real food from small farms, and how the Marriot's policies are a major food freedom issue.

The next day, the Marriot decided to "turn a blind eye". We closed our short-lived pickup location, and our booth was back to what we planned!! We even made a butter pyramid and had an ice cream party to celebrate 🥳

As a community of real food eaters, we affected change... albeit small and for one weekend. It gives me hope for the future of food.

To anyone who spoke up, shared on social media, or helped scoop 500+ cups of ice cream... thank you!!!

Has your food access been held back by laws or policies, either private or public? What food freedom issues are important to you? What would you like to see change?

I'd love to hear you from. Comment below (no account required) or contact us.

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PS: We'd love to start pickup locations in Florida and make our food more affordable and accessible in the sunshine state. If you have a spot (or can connect us with a spot) with refrigeration, let me know!

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

The drama and quick problem solving at the Wise Traditions Conference.

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566