Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Texas Cottage Food Law

While I am toying with the idea of selling Field Lab Solar Oven Bread...I decided I should look into the legalities.  Prior to 2011, in Texas, selling any food from a home kitchen made you an illegal "food establishment" in the eyes of the Texas Department of State Health Services, even if you operated on a very small scale selling low-risk foods like baked goods.  You could legally not sell homemade food.  A group of dedicated home bakers changed that.  SB 81 was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 17, 2011, and the law was expanded in 2013 by HB 970.  Texas continues to be one of the friendliest states for small business startups.  A number of foods covered by these laws includes - baked goods that do not require refrigeration, such as cakes, cookies, breads, and pastries.  To start a cottage food business, there are no permits, inspections, fees, or licenses required beyond a basic food handler's license.  I got my Texas Food Handler's License by taking an online course and passing the online exam (it took 45 minutes and cost $7.99).  And if I end up selling to the public, I will have to add a label such as this.  72,83,58, .03",W

15 comments:

David Johnson said...

When you going to start taking orders.

Dale said...

I think a minimum requirement for a kitchen is running water to be certified by the health department.

John Wells said...

Dale...didn't you read the post? I don't need to be certified by the health department.

John Wells said...

David Johnson...one of the rules I have to follow is - shipping products from a home kitchen is not allowed. You will just have to come visit to get some Field Lab Solar Oven Bread.

Jenne said...

Sounds like a great idea!

Robert said...

That is real cool that the state has some common sense rules I am sure they have some crazy stuff just waiting to be found out .
Good luck on that endeavor.

Margery Billd said...

Congratuations. Now that is ingenuity. No one here heard of the bread you just made, only the ham/bacon. I will check at the food stores.

Margery Billd said...

Can you take your cache and sell outside the stores?

Sleeping Lion said...

You can also sell at Farmer's Markets, Festivals, even on the roadside - you could put together a setup and go to Terlinqua and sell to the tourists.

Smackmama said...

When I trucked with my beau out in Texas in '07-'08 I saw lots of signs out by driveways selling plates of food to truckers. These were back roads far from civilization.

linda said...

That is so cool I’ll buy a loaf. Looks awesome.

Franco said...

Hey, I'll have some hungry guests from the 13th to the 15th of March. I could let them know they could stop by. As far as a small business in Texas, if you run a primitive campground and only charge for access to the property, there is no Sales Tax due to the state.

David Johnson said...

Sounds great

Off Grid Research said...

I got the Texas Food Handler's License online also. Biggest problem with selling my Black Peacock BBQ sauce is the label infringing on the Jack Daniels label which I could change and the detailed ingredients list... Maybe Someday!
I am coming out the 11th. I'll let Ya know what day I might be coming by and see about putting in a bread order.

Unknown said...

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