Which states can I eat with my fruit?
It’s time to make an exception for Maine, which has just passed a new law to allow fruit to be eaten with your fruit basket.
The law, which took effect Friday, allows people to bring fruit, nuts, seeds, berries, fruit juice, and other produce to the grocery store, if it’s in a basket.
There’s a catch: You can only bring your own fruit to the store, which requires a signature from your store.
So, if you’re going to bring some to the supermarket, make sure it’s fresh.
“We think it’s a great way to encourage people to eat fruit and eat local,” said Scott Anderson, an economist with the University of Maine.
The idea is that it’s much easier to find fresh fruits and vegetables on your own.
If the store sells you a bag of tomatoes or apples, for example, you can buy them.
“The more fruits you can find on your doorstep, the better,” Anderson said.
“And the more fresh fruits you have, the more likely you are to have the nutrition that you need.”
The Maine Department of Agriculture is trying to expand its fruit basket program, which began in 2014.
“It’s definitely not a new thing,” said Diane Hickey, who oversees the department’s fruit basket office in the state’s rural counties.
“But we’ve got to find a way to make it more accessible to folks, because the market is very limited.”
Hickey said the department is working with farmers to improve the distribution of fruit, especially to the city.
“Some of the people who are growing it right now, they don’t know what it’s made of, so it’s going to be hard for them to find what they need,” Hickey explained.
“So it’s about getting people to start growing it and getting the information out there.”
In Maine, people who want to bring in fresh produce can do so at any grocery store.
That includes the local farmer’s market, which is part of the state government’s new Farm Fresh program.
Hickey and other farmers are planning to distribute their produce directly to the public at farmers markets, community gardens, and community gardens throughout the state.
If you have questions about the new fruit basket, you may call the Maine Department.
Or, you might just go to the state Department of Public Health website.