Committee hears testimony on House Bill 134 to expand cottage food sales

The Agricultural Committee heard testimony supporting House Bill 134, a proposal to expand Ohio’s cottage food rules so home-based producers can sell a broader range of foods — including some perishable items — and, in some cases, ship products beyond the state.

Megan Forbes, senior legislative counsel at the Institute for Justice, told the committee the bill would let small entrepreneurs start food businesses at home without the cost of commercial kitchen space and use the cottage-food pathway as a stepping stone to larger operations. “Cottage food laws allow entrepreneurs with little capital to start small in their own homes without having to spend thousands of dollars on commercial kitchen space,” Forbes said.

The bill would create a registration for what witnesses called microenterprise or home kitchen operations, attach minimum standards and inspections similar to the existing Ohio home-bakery license, and require labeling showing that products are homemade…