Hi there,

Is it May already? Here it is, finally: a snapshot of every potential cottage food improvement this year!

So far there are 23 home food bills on the bill map, across 13 different states. All told, there are 15 cottage food bills, 4 food freedom bills, and 4 micro-restaurant bills.


Alaska

It's been a dozen years since Alaska created their cottage food law. Now they are trying to greatly expand it with their food freedom bill (HB 251), which would allow many types of perishable foods to be sold. Their bill would also enable indirect sales of non-perishable foods through stores. However, it's not yet clear if this bill would remove their burdensome $25,000 sales limit (if not, then I wouldn't necessarily call this "food freedom").

Arizona

As I already mentioned in a previous email, Arizona finally passed their food freedom bill (HB 2042)! It will take effect later this year (likely September or October), and it's a massive improvement to their law. Arizona also had a simple bill (HB 2864) to try to allow freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, but it's no longer needed with the passage of HB 2042.

Georgia

Georgia's bill (HB 583) from last year is still alive, but it has been entirely replaced with new bill language. It started as a food freedom bill to allow sales of perishable foods, but now it would be a simpler (but still significant) improvement to their cottage food law. If passed, it would allow indirect sales, remove the home address label requirement, and make it easier for someone to start their business.

Hawaii

Hawaii's bill from last year (SB 756) is continuing on this year in the form of a new bill (HB 2144/SB 2106). HB 2144 has been getting a lot of attention, but the House and Senate have had trouble reaching an agreement on what should be included in the bill. Initially it started as a food freedom bill which would have allowed perishable foods, but in its current form it would be a great cottage food law, allowing all non-perishable foods and most acidified/fermented foods, and allowing sales at all venues (direct, indirect, wholesale, & shipping). Hawaii also has another bill (HB 1591) which is trying to create a micro-restaurant law.

Illinois

Illinois has four bills this year, many of which are similar to each other. One of them (HB 4121) is unlike the others, and is trying to allow interstate sales and the option for counties to allow indirect sales. Of the other three bills, HB 2617 is getting all of the attention, and has now incorporated elements of the other two. This bill is trying to allow "mobile farmers markets", which are essentially food trucks, but I'm not sure if they will be limited to just farmers, or if cottage food businesses will be able to have food trucks too. In addition, the bill would regulate cottage food producers who live in areas without a health department.

Mississippi

I waxed poetic about Mississippi a couple weeks ago, so I'll spare you the details this time, but you can read my previous email in case you missed it. Long story short, Mississippi once again failed to pass a cottage food bill (SB 2638).

Massachusetts

One of Massachusetts' bills from last year (H 758) is rolling into this year. If passed, it would make it much easier for someone to start a cottage food business in the state.

Michigan

This year's bill (HB 5024) for Michigan is more ambitious than last year's efforts. Like before, they are trying to increase the sales limit (to $43k), but they are also trying to remove the home address label requirement and allow online sales and in-state shipping in certain cases. Specifically, the producer would need to meet face-to-face with the customer, either physically or virtually, in order to sell online and ship -- this is the first time I've seen a hybrid approach for allowing remote sales.

Minnesota

Minnesota has three bills this year. First, they have a simple bill (SF 3958) that would exempt cottage food products from being taxed by the state. Another bill (SF 4500) would prevent producers from needing a handwashing sink at events if their pre-package their samples. And their final bill (SF 3131) has rolled over from last year and is trying to create a micro-restaurant law.

New York

New York's micro-restaurant bill (S 1057) is still technically alive, but it hasn't received any attention for the past 3 years, so I'm not holding my breath on this one. But we will see!

Oklahoma

As I shared a couple weeks ago, Oklahoma’s bill (HB 2975) has passed and will allow a producer to avoid putting their name, home address, and phone number on labels by requesting a registration number. It will take effect in November.

Virginia

As I shared a couple months ago*, Virginia's bill (HB 759) has already passed, and it will go into effect on July 1st. This improves Virginia's basic cottage food law by enabling direct sales at events and tripling the sales limit for selling acidified foods (pickles, salsas, etc). It also clarifies that online sales are allowed, and allows producers to sell items out of a bulk bin at markets.  * Please note that I was mistaken in my previous email: the bill does not allow in-state shipping.

Washington

Just like last year, Washington once again has two bills with the same focus. Their cottage food bill (SB 5107) seeks to increase the sales limit to $50k (last year's increased it to $35k). Their other bill (HB 1706) has rolled over from last year and is trying to create a micro-restaurant law.


That's all I know for now! Once again, you can check the status of these bills on the 2024 Cottage Food Bills map.

Forraging ahead,

David