A number of states including Michigan have "Cottage Food" laws on the books. Designed to provide farmers with a way to generate additional income by selling certain foods that can safely be made in home kitchens without commercial certification. In Michigan these include jams, jellies and baked goods. The law requires specific labeling and disclosure that the product was made in a kitchen that wasn't certified by the powers that be. So far so good.
The challenge comes from the fact that anyone can create product under this law and sell it through the approved channels - most likely farmers markets. And in speaking today with a Market Manager from a nearby community, the unintended consequence is that they are being overwhelmed with folks who are now baking cookies or muffins or making Aunt Sallie's jam and so they are having to turn away lots of interested sellers. Having 10 vendors at a market selling chocolate chip cookies - no matter how good - doesn't benefit the market and it doesn't benefit the vendors.
Small scale agriculture is challenging on a good day. It's too bad that this positively intended law may not be helping as much as it might have been hoped.
No comments:
Post a Comment