Illinois General Assembly votes to expand Cottage Food Law
Send a link to a friend
[May 29, 2015]
SPRINGFIELD — In May the Illinois
Senate unanimously approved legislation (HB 2486) that expands
Illinois’ cottage food law. The legislation was unanimously approved
by the Illinois House of Representatives in April and will now be
sent to Governor Rauner for his approval. Illinois’ cottage food law
went into effect in 2012, allowing farmers and local food
entrepreneurs to legally make in home kitchens certain non-hazardous
food products for sale at farmers markets throughout Illinois. Prior
to the enactment of Illinois’ cottage food law, it was illegal to
sell homemade food products to the public for commercial purposes.
|
"HB2486 supports small businesses and farmers by making it
easier for them to meet the growing demand for local food and
farm products," said Wes King Executive Director of Illinois
Stewardship Alliance, a nonprofit that worked with legislators
and stakeholders to champion HB2486, "It's a good example of
legislators working together in a bipartisan manner to meet the
needs of both food businesses and farmers market vendors."
Illinois’ cottage food law is currently limited in what types of
non-hazardous food products can be made in home kitchens, where
those products can be sold, who can sell the products and how
much a farmer or entrepreneur can sell. HB2486 would authorize
the State’s Farmers Market Task Force to develop an expanded
list of allowed products beyond non-hazardous baked goods,
high-acid jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters; dried
herbs, and dried teas. HB2486 would also expand the allowable
locations cottage food products can be sold to include on-farm
sales and through Community Support Agriculture arrangements for
farmers making allowed cottage food products featuring
ingredients grown on their farm, in addition to farmers markets.
The legislation, sponsored by Representative Mike Tryon
(R-Crystal Lake) and State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria),
would also relax requirements around employees having food
sanitation training to sell cottage food products, allowing
farmers and entrepreneurs to more easily hire staff; and
increase the gross sales limit for cottage food products from
$25,000 to $36,000 per year. Finally, the legislation includes a
clarification around charitable bake sales, making clear that
religious, non-profit and charitable bake sales are exempt from
state food handling regulation.
[to top of second column] |
Governor Rauner is expected to sign the legislation into law later
this summer.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a nonprofit organization that
promotes environmentally sustainable, economically viable,
socially just, local food systems through policy development,
advocacy, and education.
To keep up to date on various Illinois Stewardship Alliance
policy and legislative work, visit www.ilstewards.org and follow
us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/ilstewards and twitter @ILStewards.
[Illinois Stewardship Alliance]
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/28/images/ads/current/business_directory_filler.png)
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/28/images/ads/current/farmers_bank_sda_prom_050614.png) |