Kristen Farrar would like to sell the cakes, scones, and muffins she bakes, using figs, walnuts, and citrus from farms near her home in Fresno, Calif. But the home-schooling mom of two can’t afford to rent commercial kitchen space or pay the $50,000 she estimates it would take to turn a shed on her property into a certified commercial kitchen, in which food for sale must be prepared under existing state law.
Farrar is hoping she won’t have to comply with the old rules because of new legislation—the California Homemade Food Act—that was approved last month and is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. It would allow home-based entrepreneurs to sell $35,000 to $50,000 annually in “non-potentially hazardous” foods such as breads, jams, and candy.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-13/states-pass-bakers-bills-to-lift-struggling-households