Hi there,
Congrats to Oklahoma!They just passed HB 2975, which (barring a governor veto) will go into effect this November.
It's a simple bill
for producers that don't want to put their name, home address, and phone number on labels. They will be able to register with the state and put their registration number on their labels instead.
That's the good news, now on to the bad news.
For the 4th year in a row, Mississippi has failed to pass a cottage food bill.It's honestly pretty ridiculous how difficult their legislature is.
It's not like their bills are complex or would likely be contentious. In fact, they are
some of the simplest bills I've seen.
Last year, their bill tried to raise the sales limit from $35k to $50k. The two years before that, their bills simply tried to allow online sales (sales would still need to be fulfilled in-person).
This year's bill (SB 2638) was actually a bit more ambitious, trying to both raise the sales limit to $50k and expand the allowed foods.
But
oddly enough, it was this year's bill that actually got some attention in the session. Unlike the other 3 previous bills, this one actually went up for a vote, but 75% of senators voted against it.
It reminds me of New Jersey, who failed to pass a cottage food bill for many years in a row until they finally broke through in 2021 (though in that case, those bills were never put up for a vote due to a single politician).
I'm not sure what will help move the needle in Mississippi, but
hopefully as more people become aware of these failures, the support for improving their cottage food law will build. Their law is current ranked 2nd to last on
Forrager's map.
Although the outcome in Mississippi didn't surprise me, I'm happy to report that
overall, this year is shaping up to be better than 2023. I'll send a recap of all 2024 bills soon!
Forraging ahead,
David