Supporting Wisconsin’s local food economy remained a priority during the latest legislative session. Lawmakers focused on measures designed to benefit family farms and home-based food businesses.
One area of continued attention is cottage food legislation. Supporters say updating the current law would create new opportunities for small-scale farmers and home bakers while strengthening local economies. The state’s cottage food law applies only to pickled or high acid items and not baked goods.
“Something that we were really focusing on this session was local food support and how we can support small-scale agriculture,” Wisconsin Farmers Union Government Relations Director Michelle Ramirez-White explained. “Providing these diversified streams of income for family operations helps them continue to benefit their local economies and their local food economies.”
Creating opportunities for home bakers
Advocates say cottage food businesses often have close ties to local agriculture by purchasing ingredients from nearby farms and selling products directly to consumers at farmers markets.
The bigger goal continues to be legislation that allows home bakers to build sustainable businesses, whether they operate year-round or seasonally.
“We want to make sure that we have cottage food legislation that supports those home bakers and allows them to create a thriving business,” Ramirez-White said. “Maybe it’s seasonal based on seasonal products, or maybe it only covers one part of the year.”
Supporters argue those businesses not only provide additional income for families but also help keep more food dollars circulating within local communities.
A National Agricultural Law Center Research Publication indicates: Nearly every state in the United States has enacted laws that allow entrepreneurs to produce certain food products in the home or “cottage” with little or no regulatory oversight. These state “cottage food” laws aim to recognize that foods such as baked goods, jams, dry mixes, and candies are not potentially hazardous and pose a low risk of food contamination. Despite the common goal of easing food safety requirements for those who produce non-potentially hazardous foods, there is much variation in the approaches taken by the states.
You can read more about current cottage foods legislation in Wisconsin as compiled by the AgLaw Center here.
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