David Crabill
@david
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The law only allows baked goods, jams, jellies, and dried herbs, so by definition, everything outside of those categories is not allowed. A fully-baked chocolate cake would be allowed. It’s not a matter of whether or not a chocolate bar is safe… it’s just that the law was written in a very conservative way. They probably wrote it in that way because they knew that those few items would meet with relatively little resistance from the health dept and the bill could get passed.
If customers are eating at your shop, then you will be a food establishment and have to abide by all of the rules that pertain to those. I’m not an expert beyond the cottage food industry, so I can’t really guide you much further, but I can say that if you’re looking for something inexpensive and/or relatively easy then this probably isn’t it. You can talk to the health dept for more info on what it would take to start this kind of business.
I think there are hundreds of benefits, and of course some drawbacks as well. That’s a pretty open-ended question and there are good resources to find the long answer. Have you read this report? The first part of CA’s cottage food law also specifies some of the benefits of these kinds of laws. I’d recommend Homemade For Sale as well.
I think one of the major benefits is that it enables people to start providing more value to their communities with knowledge and resources they already have.
Donna, what state do you live in?
Barry, it’s very likely that as long as it doesn’t require refrigeration, using commercially-produced frosting would be allowed. But ultimately it’s up to your health or ag dept to determine what’s permitted.
Yes, even a small operation requires you to get all the permits and follow the cottage food law.
Usually it does, but it depends on your state. For instance, Washington has very specific requirements on what training courses are sufficient. What state do you live in?
Ashley, it’s both possible and common to make an IMB frosting in a safe way, without it requiring refrigeration. The problem is that if someone doesn’t do it correctly and doesn’t have the proper training, then it could turn into a potentially hazardous item. It is a more risky item in that it can potentially fail more easily than the rest of the items on the allowed foods list, and that’s why it’s not allowed.
Right, you definitely can’t sell in Oregon and you also can’t produce goods in a kitchen there to try to bypass the law, since Oregon is not where you primarily live. To sell in Oregon you will need a commercial license: http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial
Rebecca, I’m pretty sure that your fondant would be allowed, especially if you’re using commercially-produced (store-bought) marshmallows. However, I really don’t know what will be allowed for variations in terms of the sales limitations. It’s true that the law is more setup for producers with a few fixed items, rather than custom ones, which is surprising since custom cake producers are probably the largest sector of the cottage food industry. I know that the intent of the law is to only allow small-scale producers… they just don’t want you to be running a full-fledge business that would really be better suited to a commercial facility. That being said, only the health dept can really answer either of your questions definitively, and you can call them at 303-692-3645.
