How California Made Home Produced Foods Legal for Sale

[FunnyJohn]

How California enabled over 1,000 new businesses to start-up

"An inspector from the health department even showed up at his doorstep to make sure "no bread baking was taking place."  For the next 18 months, Pagnol Boulanger was forced to go on hiatus.

That's when he "became an activist," Stambler said in an email interview.

He started researching other states' cottage food laws, which allow homemade food to be sold.   To qualify as a cottage food, it must be designated by the state as "non-potentially hazardous," meaning it has a low risk of spreading bacteria.

Out of the blue, he got a call from his Assemblyman, Mike Gatto, who readThe Los Angeles Times profile, and wanted to help him and other small businesses.

Stambler helped Assemblyman Gatto draft the California Homemade Food Act (AB 1616) to legalize cottage food.  AB 1616 was overwhelmingly popular with lawmakers, passing the California State Assembly 60 to 16 and unanimously passing the state Senate in August 2012.  Upon signing the bill, Gov. Jerry Brown praised AB 1616 as a way to "make it easier for people to do business in California."

In January 2013, just a few days after the law went into effect, Stambler became the first person in Los Angeles County to sell homemade food legally.  Since he's re-started his business, he hasn't received a single complaint from consumers."

Yesterday there was a story about an 11 year old's home-baked cupcake business getting shut down in Illinois by the man.  Illinois needs to emulate Cal.