The Ban On Baking

Home bakers can make a pretty good side business , using their home kitchen as a commercial one, women - and men have launched whole empires by using their humble stoves and pans. Except if you're in New Jersey. The Garden State doesn't not want home food industries to grow.

This was an interesting subject in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Amelia Nierenberg,  who usually writes for The Boston Globe wrote this informative piece. Many people  - from Famous Amos to Mrs Fields started in their homes. There were no regulations which allowed them freedom to thrive and grow. I'm sorry to say this is not happening here in New Jersey. The state has this rogue law that restricts home bakers like Heather Russinko from selling her elaborately decorated cake pops. It states that it's illegal to sell homemade foods for profit. Fines can go up to $1,000. What does Ms. Rossinko do about this? For one thing she can only donate her creations to bake sales or just simply give them away. This doesn't apply to just baked goods, it applies to everything from homemade meals to candy . The law is based on a 1906 sanitary code that used to be in all the states. However many of them got rid of the law yet home kitchens have to have occasional safety inspections along with having a cap on the amount of money made.

In the last decade nineteen states , including Washington D.C. have moved to allow home businesses. The industry is thriving, with sales reaching a whopping twenty billion this year alone. This is small comfort to New Jersey entrepreneurs wanting to grow their businesses. She and the New Jersey Home Bakers Association has been lobbying Trenton  for the right to sell home made goods. A bill that would have allowed this has passed three times in State Assembly. Yet State Senator Joe Vitale, the Chairman of Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee has never put it up for a vote? Why? There are much more important issues at stake. The Home Bakers association did get their revenge by suing the state health department saying the ban violates the equal protection clause in the New Jersey Constitution.They also enlisted an influential ally - the Institute for Justice a non profit libertarian public interest law firm out of Arlington, Virginia. The group has already started the National Food Freedom Initiative in 2013 to challenge laws related to food. Hopefully New Jersey will be like Wyoming and North Dakota and have food freedom acts. These allow home entrepreneurs to cook and bake foods without any restrictions whatsover.

Home bakers  will still have to wait for the restrictions. Hopefully their wait will be a short one and restrictions  will be  lifted. They have delicious food and an audience hungry for them.