Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a wide range of (something)
    • ex. The store sells a wide range of smartphones.
  2. commercial
    • ex. This book is not for commercial use. We aren’t going to sell it.
  3. draw a line
    • ex. To keep a good friendship with people, we need to draw a line between what actions are okay and what aren’t.
  4. exempt
    • ex. Students who got high scores in the exams are exempted from the extra classes.
  5. a ruling
    • ex. After carefully reviewing the case, the judge finally gave a ruling.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A Dane County judge has decided that people can sell a wide range of homemade food without a commercial license. The decision is the second victory for three Wisconsin women who are fighting for the right to sell food from their homes.

Previously, farmers Dela Ends and Kriss Marion and bed-and-breakfast owner Lisa Kivirist filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin’s ban on selling home-baked goods. They won the lawsuit in 2017. They filed another one in 2021 where they argued that people should be able to sell other types of homemade food as well. Through their latest victory, Wisconsin now allows people to sell other homemade items like candy, cocoa bombs, fried doughnuts, and roasted coffee beans without any commercial license.

For years, Wisconsin has drawn a line between which types of homemade food are exempted from commercial license requirements. Wisconsin’s state lawyers argued that food safety is an issue for homemade food. However, Judge Rhonda Lanford’s ruling is that homemade food is just as safe as other food.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Homemade Food

  • Imagine you’re going to buy sweets or baked goods. Which do you prefer: homemade food or food from stores? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you want to try selling homemade food? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think homemade food is a good gift to give? Why or why not? Discuss.

Food Safety

  • Judge Lanford’s ruling is that homemade food is just as safe as other food. Do you agree with this? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Would you buy from someone who doesn’t have a commercial license to sell homemade food? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that all food products in stores and restaurants are safe? Why or why not? Discuss.