Louisiana Cottage Food Law--La Home Bakers Please Read

Business By AtomicBakes Updated 29 Jul 2013 , 5:01am by T-Lew

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AtomicBakes Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 3:46am
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Personally, even if the law does not specify labeling, I will label my product with ingredients, etc. I try to eat as clean as possible and have recently had issues with eating wheat, so at the moment I am gluten free (I know, and elbow deep in cake when I'm most happy). The way I eat makes me see how frustrating it is for people with serious allergies and digestive issues with the lack of labeling some places. Many restaurants can't tell you what is in things on the menu without consulting 3 or 4 people and even then not being sure. Even without my personal eating issues, I would label just because I would want people to see that I use good old fashioned ingredients, not the chemicals at the super bakery.

 

Oh, and my birthday is August 1, so I hope it's a very happy one, indeed!

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manddi Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 12:09pm
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ARoxane, I just want to say a quick thank you (you deserve much more!) For all the hard work and effort you put into this for our entire state:

Thank you!!!

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Fancy Cakes Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 2:30pm
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AThank you Manddi. I appreciate you!

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ddaigle Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 3:32pm
post #34 of 83

Roxane....may I ask, why are puddings/refrigerated items always restricted in these bills?   We all have refrigerators and are making food for people to injest.   We could do a lot of damage regardless if the filling needs refrigerated.   I mean, what if my eggs were bad...or any other ingredient that made the client sick.   I would just think, it should be all or nothing....we can make anything....or nothing.   Not trying to sound snippy....just trying to figure out the reasoning behind it all. 

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jason_kraft Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 3:52pm
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A

Original message sent by ddaigle

Roxane....may I ask, why are puddings/refrigerated items always restricted in these bills?   We all have refrigerators and are making food for people to injest.   We could do a lot of damage regardless if the filling needs refrigerated.   I mean, what if my eggs were bad...or any other ingredient that made the client sick.   I would just think, it should be all or nothing....we can make anything....or nothing.   Not trying to sound snippy....just trying to figure out the reasoning behind it all. 

Part of the health dept's job is to protect the general public from food-borne illnesses, and potentially hazardous foods (like finished products that must be refrigerated) have a higher risk of causing illness. Considering cottage food operations are usually not inspected and the health dept can't verify that they follow food safety rules correctly, high-risk foods are out. It's really all about the lowest common denominator (since most food businesses will know how to handle high-risk foods correctly) and providing at least a minimum standard of safety for consumers. It's not about ensuring 100% safety, since that's both expensive and impossible.

Cottage food laws are meant as a stepping stone and a way for casual food businesses making low-risk products to operate within the law. Renting a commercial kitchen is always an option if you want to go beyond the CFL restrictions.

In terms of the all or nothing approach, if there is no compromise on the potentially hazardous food issue (when it is eventually brought up) the bill will probably not pass. If regular inspections were required for all cottage food businesses there would be a better chance of allowing potentially hazardous foods.

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Fancy Cakes Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 5:02pm
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AJason is exact in saying what he stated.

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Fancy Cakes Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 5:04pm
post #37 of 83

AAnd personally speaking I would prefer to make something rather than nothing. If you want to go beyond CFL restrictions you would need to seek opening a business or possibly working for someone.

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SweetMelissa730 Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 5:39pm
post #38 of 83

Roxane, I just want to thank you for all you have done to make this happen. I know there was a lot of work involved on your part and I'm sure most of your work is done but if there is anything you need, just ask I'm sure there are many of us that would help you out in a second, myself included. 

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Baking Queen Posted 4 Apr 2013 , 9:02pm
post #39 of 83

AWhen is the final decision!?

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Fancy Cakes Posted 5 Apr 2013 , 3:38am
post #40 of 83

AThank you Melissa. Nothing to do at this point. Session starts Monday and ends June 6th.

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SweetMelissa730 Posted 17 Apr 2013 , 6:02pm
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So the hearing for SB 18 got deferred to next week. Ahh, this is nerve wracking!  

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Fancy Cakes Posted 18 Apr 2013 , 5:00pm
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AThat is not a bad thing at all. It's good that it was deferred. By working on these amendments on the fr

Original message sent by SweetMelissa730

So the hearing for SB 18 got deferred to next week. Ahh, this is nerve wracking!  

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Fancy Cakes Posted 18 Apr 2013 , 5:01pm
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A

Original message sent by Fancy Cakes

That is not a bad thing at all. It's good that it was deferred. By working on these amendments on the fr

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Fancy Cakes Posted 18 Apr 2013 , 5:04pm
post #44 of 83

AOops sorry. Hard to do from my phone. We are making the amendments on the front end and this also gets the restaurant association on our side! This will prevent amendments having to be made in the senate or house and having to go thru the process all over again. If that were to happen session may end before getting it passed!! We only have 39 more days of session. Better to be deferred to next week than to next year. It's a process we are handling VERY carefully to get this bill approved and signed possibly within 3 weeks!! That's a great thing!!

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SweetMelissa730 Posted 18 Apr 2013 , 5:25pm
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A

Original message sent by Fancy Cakes

Oops sorry. Hard to do from my phone. We are making the amendments on the front end and this also gets the restaurant association on our side! This will prevent amendments having to be made in the senate or house and having to go thru the process all over again. If that were to happen session may end before getting it passed!! We only have 39 more days of session. Better to be deferred to next week than to next year. It's a process we are handling VERY carefully to get this bill approved and signed possibly within 3 weeks!! That's a great thing!!

Thanks for the update Roxane. I'm not saying that being deferred is bad. I was just letting people know it was deferred. I'm just stating that the waiting is nerve wracking! Of course waiting is part of it, can't help but being nervous none the less. :-)

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Baking Queen Posted 18 Apr 2013 , 9:24pm
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AFingers are still being crossed till next week!!

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historygeek7 Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 1:02am
post #47 of 83

How will church bake sales be affected by this?  Will all the ladies in my church need to take the Food Safety course?  Or does this apply *only* to home-based businesses?  (I'm sorry if this sounds flippant, but I'm honestly trying to figure out how this bill will work in practice)

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jason_kraft Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 2:55am
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A

Original message sent by historygeek7

How will church bake sales be affected by this?  Will all the ladies in my church need to take the Food Safety course?  Or does this apply *only* to home-based businesses?  (I'm sorry if this sounds flippant, but I'm honestly trying to figure out how this bill will work in practice)

"Religious or charitable food sales" are already exempted from health dept requirements based on existing law in LA, this would not be changed by the new bill.

§305(A)(1)(b) in the link below, page 6: http://inspections.eatsafe.la.gov/images/healthcode.pdf

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mfruchey Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 1:34pm
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A friend of mine and I have been working with Senator Ward on this. The bill has been drafted in a very simple form at this point in anticipation of requests for more restrictive amendments. We don't want to restrict anything that they don't care about!

 

It passed the Senate Health and Welfare committee, but just barely!

 

A big part of the problem is that we have 'Associations' against us and no united front for home bakers. 

 

As a result, I have posted links to form letters to e-mail our representatives (one from the perspective of a prospective customer and one from home bakers) all over my Facebook and have asked that my friends share. Our objective is to flood the inboxes of our representatives. They are definitely hearing from the opposition, and they need to hear from those who support the bill as well! 

 

Senator Ward is working very hard for the home bakers of Louisiana, but it WILL NOT PASS if those of us who support the bill do not speak up, and LOUDLY!

 

Here are the links to the form letters. This is the one from the bakers' perspective: https://docs.google.com/a/fruchey.net/document/d/1MBtA0FqSU7_4kOUjtXGZ7Rt6-9DXq51uaWfj2ixmNnE/pub

 

And this is from the customers' perspective: https://docs.google.com/a/fruchey.net/document/d/1-lXi1zOgsk5CbMEy1eGCteQeNrtILZFzgBb4lWvc7qw/pub

 

PLEASE e-mail your representatives--it takes SECONDS! But also share these links on your social media pages so that your friends and family members who support you can help out.

 

Here is the link to the site that will help you to find your representatives: http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/H_Reps_ByAddress.asp

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mfruchey Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 1:37pm
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Haha. I posted before reading the thread and didn't notice that Roxane had posted. Hi! icon_biggrin.gif

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ddaigle Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 1:52pm
post #51 of 83
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jason_kraft Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 3:24pm
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AThe bill needs to pass the state senate and house, so you would contact both Barrow and Brown. You would only contact US Congressman and Senators to provide feedback for federal bills.

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Fancy Cakes Posted 26 Apr 2013 , 4:42pm
post #53 of 83

AYou need to contact both your state house and state senator. The bill is still being tweaked and language being changed before it heads to the senate floor

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Baking Queen Posted 27 Apr 2013 , 2:32pm
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AWould you

Original message sent by Fancy Cakes

You need to contact both your state house and state senator. The bill is still being tweaked and language being changed before it heads to the senate floor

happen to know what percentage of the bill is opposed v approved??Thanks for the updates!!

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Fancy Cakes Posted 27 Apr 2013 , 4:41pm
post #55 of 83

ABaking queen I am not sure what you mean??

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Baking Queen Posted 28 Apr 2013 , 1:04pm
post #56 of 83

A

Original message sent by Fancy Cakes

Baking queen I am not sure what you mean??

Oops sorry fancy cakes I did word that a little wierd! What I ment to say was do you think more people are complaining about the bill or is there more people approving of it? I read earlier that it was getting quite a bit of complaints from the public

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ddaigle Posted 28 Apr 2013 , 1:40pm
post #57 of 83

I must jump on my soap box for a minute.....

 

I know a few selfish bakery owners that are super pissed about this bill.   I also know a few of them that started in their home (illegally) before they opened their "bakery".   Everyone had/has to start somewhere.   Not everyone can go out the gate with a storefront/retail bakery.   If I am registered with Department of Health and paying my taxes, then shut up.   If you have great service and a great product....it should't matter if 100 people start baking cakes in your town.  They obviously are worried....not my problem.  

 

Jumping down.....

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jason_kraft Posted 28 Apr 2013 , 3:11pm
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A

Original message sent by ddaigle

If you have great service and a great product....it should't matter if 100 people start baking cakes in your town.  

Except it does matter, especially if local bakers have excellent cake decorating skills but poor business skills and undercut the market. That's not necessarily a reason to oppose the bill, but from an economic standpoint it's better for everyone if there are at least some barriers to entry (certainly less than the situation without a CFL) so people have to at least think about the business side before they start selling.

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Fancy Cakes Posted 28 Apr 2013 , 4:47pm
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AI don't know percentages. However we need to remember that the opposition has an association to represent them. Home bakers do not. We can scream our point of view from the highest mountain, but it still remains just our point of view, just as the bakeries have a right to their point of view. We will have to be patient as the final details are being worked out with the bill and see where it leads us.

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manddi Posted 8 May 2013 , 2:35am
post #60 of 83

APassed the Senate today!

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