Senator Joe Vitale Says He Is Not Opposed To Home Bakers

Senator Joe Vitale says he is not opposed to home bakers making and selling cookies from home. He just wants there to be more regulations to protect the public health.

“It’s not that I don’t admire (home bakers) for their entrepreneurship and working to get additional income, that’s great,” Vitale told Patch. “But the bill is weak on the public health protection side.”

The New Jersey Home Bakers Association has been fighting with the state since 2009 to try and get a Cottage Foods Law passed. The law would allow small-scale home producers to bake, cook, can, pickle, dry or candy certain low-risk foods and sell in their own home. Right now the state requires home bakers to process foods in licensed kitchens, which costs money.

Currently all other 49 states have a bill similar to this passed, New Jersey is the only one without it.

The group of home bakers claim that by having to go to a facility to make their product costs them too much money. As a result, the group filed a lawsuit against New Jersey on Dec. 7 after they claimed they were getting nowhere with the state and specifically pointed to Vitale for holding up the bill.

• See Related: Cranford Mom, Bakers Rise Up And Sue NJ For Right To Sell Cookies

“I have concerns about the bill and the language but not the intent, of course,” Vitale said.

Vitale said he has spoken with Senator Kip Bateman, who sponsored the bill, and also to the home bakers association about his concerns.

“The bill is weak on the public health protection side and there are some major oversights,” Vitale said.

He noted he would be more supportive if the bill would include some level of annual inspections of the home kitchens, making sure that food preparation and storage is complying with state code, which is similar to what other bakeries or restaurants must follow.

“That’s all I ask for,” Vitale said. “Their business model says they could earn upwards of $50,000 a year, that says to me this is a real business, not just making a few cookies to sell on the street.”

In regards to the lawsuit, Vitale believes the group is trying to circumvent the legislative process and go right to court.

“That says to me they are not willing to have a discussion on making the legislation better,” Vitale said.

What do you think? Should Selling Homemade Christmas Cookies Be A Crime?

(Image via Morguefile/takeasnap)

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