food crafters in St. Mary's

L

libby

New Member
Does anyone here make goodies and sell them in small venues here in St. Mary's?
To aid in income I'd like to give it a try with a few items I make, but going to the county and complying with all of their requirements is obscene. Is there a different set of rules that I haven't found if you are just a crafter as opposed to a full on retail location?
 
migtig

migtig

aka Mrs. Giant
You need to find the state laws on this. My friend sells jams/jellies and from listening to her I know for that you have to meet all kinds of requirements and make sure that all your products are labeled properly and marked with all your information. She won't sell baked goods because the laws are much more stringent and if you get busted not following those laws, or just one person complains that they got sick, there are some serious fines and consequences.
 
L

libby

New Member
migtig said:
You need to find the state laws on this. My friend sells jams/jellies and from listening to her I know for that you have to meet all kinds of requirements and make sure that all your products are labeled properly and marked with all your information. She won't sell baked goods because the laws are much more stringent and if you get busted not following those laws, or just one person complains that they got sick, there are some serious fines and consequences.
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This is exactly what I'm afraid of. I went to the Health Dept. and the requirement were ridiculous. It seems if someone wants to test the waters to see if there is any interest in the product, the hoops are prohibitive. Perhaps that is why there are no interesting new businesses in the county.
Vintage Source, the AMG Maker's Market, and presumably Vendor Fairs all require that you are in compliance as a full on retail operation would be. This is why I was wondering if there was something I was missing; that perhaps the rules are different for Farmer's Markets and such.
 
migtig

migtig

aka Mrs. Giant
libby said:
This is exactly what I'm afraid of. I went to the Health Dept. and the requirement were ridiculous. It seems if someone wants to test the waters to see if there is any interest in the product, the hoops are prohibitive. Perhaps that is why there are no interesting new businesses in the county.
Vintage Source, the AMG Maker's Market, and presumably Vendor Fairs all require that you are in compliance as a full on retail operation would be. This is why I was wondering if there was something I was missing; that perhaps the rules are different for Farmer's Markets and such.
Click to expand...

Not that I know of. The only person I know that sells baked goods at a farmers market has all the ingredients labeled, even for dog biscuits, has a business license, and has a commercial kitchen, etc.
 
RoseRed

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
libby said:
This is exactly what I'm afraid of. I went to the Health Dept. and the requirement were ridiculous. It seems if someone wants to test the waters to see if there is any interest in the product, the hoops are prohibitive. Perhaps that is why there are no interesting new businesses in the county.
Vintage Source, the AMG Maker's Market, and presumably Vendor Fairs all require that you are in compliance as a full on retail operation would be. This is why I was wondering if there was something I was missing; that perhaps the rules are different for Farmer's Markets and such.
Click to expand...

In the link I provided, they were selling home made baked goods and cheeses.
 
migtig

migtig

aka Mrs. Giant
Was sent this for you

FDA and USDA food safety regulations apply to baked goods. Baked goods may be considered hazardous or non-hazardous depending upon specific ingredients. Licenses may restrict recipes, or conversely, specific recipes may require specific licenses Bakeries are food processing facilities licensed by DHMH. The license may be restricted to processing only certain types of foods based on the facility capacity, equipment, and design. Home kitchens and on-farm processors may produce only non-potentially hazardous baked goods include baked cakes, muffins, or cookies with a water activity of .85 or less, and fruit pies with an equilibrated pH of 4.6 or less. Baked goods produced in a home kitchen may be sold only at farmers' markets. Baked goods produced under an on-farm home processing license may be sold at any venue in the state.

Food Processing Maryland Rules for Specific Foods
 
MarieB

MarieB

New Member
Unfortunately, there are no cottage laws in Maryland. I do recall seeing a group trying to get them through, though its been years. It's really too bad
 
Bonehead

Bonehead

Well-Known Member
Hmmmm

I wonder if there would be any local interest in fresh sprouts ? Something other than alfalfa and broccoli found in most grocery stores.

I grow lots of different types of sprouts like onion, leek, arugula, fenungreek, radish, dill, cress, celery and mustard in different mixes.

2 tablespoons of seeds equals about 10 oz of sprouts.
 
L

libby

New Member
sockgirl77 said:
Not to mention the schools and churches that hold bake sales...
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What I was told by the Health Dept. is that bake sales don't count because you are not selling to "the public".
If I could have a perpetual bake sale somewhere it might work out nicely, but then the proceeds would go to...someone else.
 
R

red_explorer

Well-Known Member
Yes

RidgeChick said:
Do the Amish have to do this? They sell baked goods and their labels only specify what the item is........
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And they actually have had to go through classes to sell canned and preserved items in many cases.... It was a huge controversy several years ago.
 
R

red_explorer

Well-Known Member
Libby

libby said:
What I was told by the Health Dept. is that bake sales don't count because you are not selling to "the public".
If I could have a perpetual bake sale somewhere it might work out nicely, but then the proceeds would go to...someone else.
Click to expand...

Hey Libby, we had this discussion last year, but I cant find the thread on my phone, and am out of town. As I mentioned last year, call Liat Mackey at UM Extension in Leonardtown. She should be able to help you navigate the rules, and also Donna Sasscer at the St Marys Economic Development Commission. Donna actually helped the Amish and Mennonites navigate the Health Department mess.... She is also heavily involved with the Farmers Markets, and can tell you what you need to do to get in. St Marys Govt website...

Here is one of the discussions....

ARCHIVE: new business-grease traps [Archive] - Southern Maryland Community Forums
 
Last edited:
L

libby

New Member
red_explorer said:
Hey Libby, we had this discussion last year, but I cant find the thread on my phone, and am out of town. As I mentioned last year, call Liat Mackey at UM Extension in Leonardtown. She should be able to help you navigate the rules, and also Donna Sasscer at the St Marys Economic Development Commission. Donna actually helped the Amish and Mennonites navigate the Health Department mess.... She is also heavily involved with the Farmers Markets, and can tell you what you need to do to get in. St Marys Govt website...

Here is one of the discussions....

ARCHIVE: new business-grease traps [Archive] - Southern Maryland Community Forums
Click to expand...

I did try to speak them these gals back then, although I can't remember the result. It must not have been what I needed to hear, because I would've gone ahead with it. All I really want to do is small venues, but it just doesn't seem to be worth the hassle the HD puts us through. Thanks, though, RE.
 
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