Submitted by krakHawk t3_10uugyb in Washington
Can't use fresh fruit or vegetables? This is kind of insane to me. I just want to make hot sauce😂
What is the reason for this? Because I'd be profiting off of someone else's product? I have no clue.
I've done some research and I guess WA State is one of the most strict states when it comes to cottage food laws. This makes me really sad. Meanwhile in Montana you can do literally whatever you want with no gross sales maximum.
Looks like you can sell fresh fruit, just not cut fruit, fruit juices, or any product made from fresh fruit.
It does state you can't sell "Canned pickled products such as corn relish, pickles, sauerkraut"
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Get a food handler's permit. Can your goods properly. (Vacuum packed and sealed). There are vendors selling salsa and foods at craft fairs around.
If you can your foods to preserve them with intent to sell you have to have a HACCP plan, which can be really rigorous and expensive.
Because food poisoning kills and veggies carry risks as well. We at least pretend with health inspectors to make sure places are safe but there would be no way to inspect someone's home to see if it is safe. The short story is that shitty people trying to make a quick buck ruined it for everyone. You can how ever operate out of a co-op commercial kitchen, even food trucks depending on the type have to rent a kitchen somewhere to make certain foods they sell and keep warm in the truck.
Well, that is not quite correct since you can use fresh fruit in a baked pie and you can cook vegetables for meals prepared and sold from a home kitchen under the cottage food permit.
Hot sauce and salsa are considered higher risk of foodborne illness so are not included products for the cottage food permit. You would need to rent time in a commercial kitchen for that type of product since you would need to be licensed as a food processor.
Fruit baked in a pie is not fresh. It’s baked and sterilized. It also has to be made in a commercial kitchen that has passed DOH inspections.
OP is saying they can't use fresh fruit or veg and I assume it is in the context of making the hot sauce they mention.
Cottage Food Permit allows for cooking in an inspected home kitchen and baked fruit pies are approved under that permit.
Washington has pretty standard cottage food laws.
Methinks you haven't actually read the Montana Cottage Food Guidance as it states that fermented products or canned fruits and veggies are not permissible their, either.
You can go to Montana if you want to give people botulism.
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah and all the other Mormon states just accept botulism and salmonella as “God’s Will.”
Just a guess but Washington makes revenue off sales tax, not income tax. So the next level of home sales is a business entity, which would require you to submit sales tax collected back to the state.
> Just a guess but Washington makes reveue off sales tax,
Washington State doesn't tax most groceries/food.
However the WA Dept of Agriculture and the department of Health make damn sure you aren’t spreading insects across the state or blasting fruits and vegetables with toxic crap that makes people sick.
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Any prepared food is taxed such as at all restaurants. Food doesn't come naturally in a jar. Because there is a service you are paying for.
Abolish the state
Seriously. This place it beautiful but it’s also so damn soft when it comes to rules.
Next_Ad_8693 t1_j7e0igs wrote
I'm not terribly familiar with the law, but I took a gander. I think it just says you can't sell fresh fruits and vegetables under cottage food laws. Hot sauce, being fermented, should be fine.