Posted on

Home bakers in New Jersey stew over country’s last ban

baked_goods_theridgewoodblog

Home bakers in New Jersey stew over country’s last ban

By Josh Cornfield | AP June 18 at 12:09 PM

TRENTON, N.J. — There’s only one thing preventing baker Mandy Coriston from selling the Irish soda bread she makes from her great-grandmother’s recipe inside her old cast-iron skillets: She lives in New Jersey.

New Jersey is now the only state in the U.S. where people can’t sell home-baked goods after a Wisconsin court this month invalidated that state’s ban.

Wisconsin officials have said they may appeal the judge’s decision, but the state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would allow home bakers to sell without a license.

A push by a group including Coriston to overturn New Jersey’s law has drawn plenty of supporters over the last eight years, but one state lawmaker has so-far blocked it from being considered because of concerns over public health issues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/home-bakers-in-new-jersey-stew-over-countrys-last-ban/2017/06/18/138bc4ce-5440-11e7-840b-512026319da7_story.html?utm_term=.f19524357047

Posted on

N.J. may become last state with ban on sales of homemade baked goods

bake sale cookies

By Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 27, 2017 at 11:00 AM, updated April 27, 2017 at 11:04 AM

New Jersey could become the last state in the nation to ban the sale of homemade baked goods.

A judge in Wisconsin — the only other state to have such a ban — will soon hear from attorneys on behalf of three women seeking to overturn Wisconsin’s law, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Both states currently ban the sale of home-baked cookies, muffins and other treats to the public citing health concerns and unfair competition against established businesses.

In New Jersey, home bakers need to either rent a commercial kitchen or install one in their homes, costing about $12,000. They are also subject to inspection by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

Many home bakers in New Jersey have been lobbying to overturn the state’s ban for years. A few years ago, a measure passed New Jersey’s lower house, but state Sen. Joe Vitale ultimately refused to bring it up for a vote.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/nj_could_become_only_state_to_ban_selling_homemade.html