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Great news! An effort led by the Sustainable Economies Law Center has culminated with the signing of the California Homemade Food Act, or AB 1616, by Gov. Brown last Friday. This success for small scale food producers was aided by the Berkeley Food Policy Council, whose member organizations wrote in letters of support, along with 6,000 other supporters across the state. The law will go into effect in January, and legalizes the sale of homemade, “non-potentially hazardous” foods. This allows aspiring food entrepreneurs to bypass the prohibitively expensive step of preparing foods in a certified commercial kitchen. Read on for links and more about this bill.
Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), who sponsored the bill, says “Providing people with the opportunity to make and sell these foods directly to their neighbors at the local farmer’s market or through the specialty shop up around the corner is a matter of access to opportunity. I am happy that the Governor has joined me in my efforts to restore economic activity to our neighborhood economies and to the state of California by allowing people to produce and healthy, nutritious or culturally relevant foods in their homes.” Congratulations to SELC, BFPC, food entrepreneurs, and Assemblyman Gatto!
To read a press release from Assemblyman Gatto, click here.
To read the specific language of the Bill, head to SELC’s website here.