Comments on: Do You Eat Illegal Baked Goods?

By: Lila

Lila — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:07:06 +0000

This article is so interesting!!!! Never thought of it this way!!! I couldn’t agree with you more! I’m thinking of making macaroons from scratch. It’s a lot of work, boiling whole almonds, taking the skin off, drying them in the sun, grinding them many times in the tiny coffee maker, then making the meringue and so on… But I enjoy doing it and I want to encourage people to eat food that hasn’t been processed. When I thought of selling them, I thought of getting infos to see what I need to make them in my kitchen. When I went to the Massachusetts board of health dept website, I was discouraged. It’s just too complicated. I have a clean kitchen, a clean fridge, but I can’t build a commercial kitchen. So I gave up my project!
When I think of my father who was never sick, how he never washed his hands, never washed his vegetables and fruits. I remember he used to eat old food that we could never touch and he never got sick. And now the more we wash our hands, the more we freak out about germs, the more we’re sick.
Again thank you so much for your article. It opened my eyes on a lot of things.
Lila

By: Old Man Style Hot Soss

Old Man Style Hot Soss — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:34:59 +0000

I’m trying to launch a cottage foods hot sauce business in Seattle and every time I talk to the FDA, the county health dept and the commercial rental kitchens it seems the price of everything goes up. Just to get licensing/approvals/inspections, I’m looking at thousands of dollars. Not to mention that the rental kitchens want me to carry $500,000 in liability insurance before they’ll even let me tour the place. It’s a vicious circle. I can’t get approval until I rent a kitchen. I can’t rent a kitchen until I get approval. As of now, I’m asking for a small donation per bottle to help cover my costs so as to avoid the red tape.

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:32:45 +0000

I am presently trying to persue a home baking business in Va. and it has been almost impossible….one day they say do this and the next day its do something else. I have cooked and baked for over 50 years, served as Womens director of churchs, had a daycare for over 30 years, have had a food license for 17 years, and just completed all classes for ServSafe certification for resturant manager, caterer, etc…….and still having problems with the health dept. with their rules and regulations. They keep telling me different things on the phone but getting them into your kitchen to inspect is another story. I have decided to apply through the USDA and have them come and certify my kitchen and then the health dept. will not have any jurisdiction.

By: kelli

kelli — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:47:58 +0000

This in America? Does the government doesn’t have anything to do that arresting those people who’s peacefully living? Why don’t they just go after criminals and robbers? At least they deserved to be arrested.

By: Grace DeStefano

Grace DeStefano — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:00:38 +0000

In an effort to change these ridiculous laws, many states’ bakers have started grouping together and writing to their lawmakers to enact Cottage Food Laws. One such state, NJ currently has a bill in the NJ Senate and needs your support. To all NJ residents, please join us at http://www.facebook.com/NJHomeBakersBill and support our efforts to have S2734 (permits sale of home-baked goods under certain conditions) passed and eventually made into law. Thank you.

-Grace DeStefano
Somerset County, NJ

By: danzle

danzle — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:34:49 +0000

This is just too good !! Yes indeed more than one way to get granny’s pies sold !!

By: Gina

Gina — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:21:56 +0000

I agree with you all on this issue.. I currently have to pay to use someones kitchen in order to bake my things in order to sell and profit in a home based business, doing what I love to do.And its hard to make a living off of the earnings from my labor in a kitchen and the money put out in supplies to bake things that people want to buy. Or what they have ordered..

I wish they were a little more leiniant on home baking. Maybe a caution label, stating that The consumer and buyer knows that It was baked at home and not a certified kitchen or Bakery.

“Sweet ~Gee’s”

By: Anita

Anita — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:47:02 +0000

Angie, I live in Texas too, and am planning to start a home-based cake baking business, but have not checked into the state requirements yet…as far as kitchen regulations/specifications are concerned. Did your kitchen have to meet the same requirements as a commercial restaurant kitchen in order for you to become licensed? I have read that the kitchen must be separate from the rest of the house, either closed off with partition or doors, but am curious about what “minimum requirements”, mentioned on the permit application, page are. I hope you don’t mind my asking, and look forward to your response. By the way, I live in Van Zandt County.

By: Angie

Angie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:44:40 +0000

Sorry, but here in Texas it is illegal to sell or donate for resell (such as a bake sale) ANY food item produced in ones home kitchen. It sucks. But that is the case. There is a movement trying to get this law changed here in Texas. Hoping that our fellow humans in congress can see how crazy it is, especially in these harsh economic times, to discourage an already exhisting in home business that can help boost it’s economy.
I necessarily don’t disagree with a license fee and an inspection, I also believe anyone wanting to sell food to the general public should at least take a food safety course. Just because one knows how to cook well does not mean they understand about cross contamination or temp control. So taking a course about food safety is a good idea for ANYONE even those not wanting to sell food from their home kitchen. I know I learned quite a bit from a free course that was given in the county I first became licensed in here in Texas. Yes I have a fully licensed cake company, but I am not one of those snobs that thinks it is right that the state forces us to go into debt to become legal. I have worked in restaurants and I have seen the filth that some have in abundance. The funny thing is, that in the states that do allow home baking for sell will tell you they never have a food poisoning incident from the home kitchens…it is always from the restaurants that they have a problem with. Take 10 random restaurants compared to 10 random home kitchens and I guarantee you that the home kitchens will be cleaner than the restaurants.

By: samantha

samantha — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:32:06 +0000

hey guys look, this is not ALWAYS true!! i live in tenn and just got passed to bake and sell out of my kitchen to any state i feel like it. In any case, i dont need the fda to approve me either just a few permits and such and i was on my way!