The governor signed the AZ Cottage Food Law on April 13th, and it is official. The law is tentatively scheduled to go into effect on July 20, 2011 and all rules and regulations should be posted on http://azleg.gov (bookmark & watch for updates).

A new rule requiring permits for homemade foods sellers went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010 in New Mexico.

The permits are mandated by the state Environment Department and will cost $100. This will allow the sale of homemade goods including baked goods, tortillas, jams and jellies, dry mixes and candies.

To obtain a permit, home-based food processors must pay the fee, attend food safety training and allow the New Mexico Environment Department to inspect their kitchens. This new permit process was introduced to monitor the safety of goods sold at farmers markets, roadside stands, fairs and fiestas. Visit http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/fod/Food_Program/HomeBasedProcessing.htm