Cottage Food Laws: Promoting Fresh! Promoting Local!
As revolutionary as homemade products are these days, there has been a new intrest in local food and local products. Although for some reason, doing so is a crime in most states. And what does that bring us to? ….Cottage Food Laws!
In my small town in Oklahoma, local goods have always been in fashion for as long as I can remember. We recently got a Farmer's Market about a year or so ago. That's great and all, but the city has watched it like a hawk! Many home bakers have asked to join but some of the merchants from the Farmer's Market have advised them not to, being that the market is under surveillance. Even fresh home grown produce is being watched!
It's very sad that it has come to this. I would love to sell my miches and croissants, but not at the expense of a huge fine! What ever happened to the days of all you bought was local? Or, everyone sold things from their kitchen? Everyone nowadays is under some financial crutch or another. Why is promoting local people and fresh ingredients a crime?!? But no, the country wants to promote artificial slop mechanically assembled in a factory in who-knows-where.
That has brought me to searching cottage food laws. Today, only ten states allow cottage food to be sold. My state of Oklahoma, however, does not allow cottage food. I'm thinking about bringing this to my local representative, who happens to be a friend, to see if he can try to pass a law allowing this.
What's your advice? Any good pointers? Good stances or ideas?