You have a right to say anything you want, but again, we are in a situation where illegal advice is being touted as an option in the BUSINESS FORUM.
To be fair, there's nothing illegal about refusing to label a donated cake...the health department is just trying to make sure people are protected from liability as much as possible. If someone chooses to ignore that advice and opens themselves to unnecessary risk, that's their prerogative.
LOL................by all means follow the law........I never said not to........I was referring to right and wrong....and if Uncle Joe is allergic to baked goods he should not eat them .......ok end of this redundant conversation. all good things must come to an end.......it was a lively discussion.....happy caking
if Uncle Joe is allergic to baked goods he should not eat them
That advice only works if Uncle Joe can immediately tell just by looking at a cake which allergens it contains or may have come into contact with. Can you tell whether or not a cake was made with almond extract without tasting it? How about whether or not the baker was snacking on peanuts when they were making the cake?
I'm still unclear what the upside is to refusing to take a few seconds to write (e.g.) "contains almonds and peanuts" on a cake box.
Unless your argument is that you are so afraid of being sued, even with allergen disclosure, that you don't want to risk donating the cake in the first place?
You are allowed to donate, but in todays world everyone wants to sue. People will sue over the dumbest stuff and get money. I'm sure someone could say they got poisoned from the cake you donated. Just because it is legal doesn't make it a good idea. So I'm going to agree with Madge.
ok..............look at my pages of pics...........every cake was given away or made for friend or family or for free cakes for kids.........or for an adult whom I was told had never had a birthday cake.............I did not feel the need to write on the cake any warning.....and most would not fit into a box...........thanks julzs..........
this conversation is getting spiraled out of this world haha
jasonkaft, my health dept didn't say they were options, they were conditions. That is why I suggested to call and find out what is required in your area. And I am sure that the HD is more concerned wth public safety than my finances. We are stll talking about donating to strangers. That little label that we both agree with is such a simple gesture with valuable info to someone with allergies. Maryland requires it in my business but it makes so much sense that I include it in WV.
Per Maryland State Department of Health in Baltimore.... cut a little strip of paper and write:
This product may contain dairy, egg, wheat, soy, and nut products.
For anyone interested, just tape it to the inside of the box where it can be seen.
Jason, I understand you specialize in allergy-friendly baked goods, so I'm really interested in your opinion...doesn't the bakery box or label usually get discarded almost immediately? Guests at a wedding or party most likely wouldn't ever see the packaging.
Here's a common scenario for me: I'm strictly a hobbyist and never sell my cakes or other baked goods to anyone. But I give them away in droves!.......For instance, I send all sorts of baked goods with my husband to work all the time. He sets them out in the break room, and because we have so many food allergies and sensitivities in my own family, I always include a label or note about nuts, eggs or dairy ingredients. However, DH says that the labels and notes never last very long.
So what's a bake-aholic to do?!!!!!!!! I love baking for others, and I'm not going to stop giving away treats. I'll continue to include info about potential allergens, but I'm not so sure the notes provide any protection-- for me or the recipients. I'll be sure to keep my liability insurance current!
BTW, I admire that you offer specialty baked items...there are so many people out there who can't take baked goods for granted. Our family's complicated array of food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances is what got me interested in serious baking.
I agree with putting a note on the items, but there is something being overlooked. If you are a person with allegies, and I am, you just don't randomly eat baking that you don't know what they contain. I have to take the majority of the responsibility and just know that I can't eat everything I see. I'm not going to sue someone for my own stupidity of eating something I knew nothing about. Besides, even if someone puts a note saying there are no nuts in the cake, like someone said earlier, what if the smallest amount of the item gets in? For some, it can take only microscopic amounts...I don't take that chance-my health is my responsibility. That being said, you are never going to guarantee that you will not get sued. It seems to be the thing to do nowadays!
As for the box, yes it is discarded, but it is the best that can be done. Just like labeling on grocery item is thrown away before it is cooked, but it is there in the beginning. It makes sense to me that anyone with allergies should know, but bread still lists "wheat". I am just passing along the info I got for a donation from an unlicensed kitchen.
Not to rile things up, I am a hobbyist with hopes of starting a business, are the boxes for wedding cakes labeled and with allergen warning?
I think I will have to do that here, but I do donate all the time, and never thought to put a warning on the box, no harm in it though so like it has been said, 30 seconds and a slip of paper is a pretty simple cya.
Jason, I understand you specialize in allergy-friendly baked goods, so I'm really interested in your opinion...doesn't the bakery box or label usually get discarded almost immediately? Guests at a wedding or party most likely wouldn't ever see the packaging.
For party cakes, the person picking up or ordering the cake is typically either the person with allergies or knows who has the allergies. Allergen information is included on the box and the invoice. For larger wedding cakes, we also include a small tent card with a label and allergen information (although the bride or venue will sometimes take care of this, either with a tent card or on the menu itself).
That's really the best you can do...you can't force people to read the label, but you can act with due diligence and put in your best effort so people can be informed about what's in your product.
Jason, I understand you specialize in allergy-friendly baked goods, so I'm really interested in your opinion...doesn't the bakery box or label usually get discarded almost immediately? Guests at a wedding or party most likely wouldn't ever see the packaging.
For party cakes, the person picking up or ordering the cake is typically either the person with allergies or knows who has the allergies. Allergen information is included on the box and the invoice. For larger wedding cakes, we also include a small tent card with a label and allergen information (although the bride or venue will sometimes take care of this, either with a tent card or on the menu itself).
That's really the best you can do...you can't force people to read the label, but you can act with due diligence and put in your best effort so people can be informed about what's in your product.
Ok, thanks! I like the idea of the tent cards...I'll start including them with all the goodies I send out into the world!
I'm not going to sue someone for my own stupidity of eating something I knew nothing about.
Most people wouldn't sue, but it only takes one person to cause trouble. If you donate one wedding cake per week that gets served to an average of 100 people, there are potentially 5200 people who could have ingested your product over the course of one year.
Besides, even if someone puts a note saying there are no nuts in the cake, like someone said earlier, what if the smallest amount of the item gets in?
If a cake is made on shared equipment with nut products or there are nuts being used in the home and special precautions have not been made to sanitize surfaces, the cake should not be labeled as nut-free, it should be "may contain nuts" or "made on shared equipment with nut products".
ok I give up.............I will make a stinking paper and skewer it to my cakes sheesh
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