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Committee adopts amendments to broaden cottage‑food options, then defers bill after industry concerns
Summary
Representative Coats proposed changes to Louisiana’s cottage food law to expand what home producers may sell and to clarify labeling and safety requirements; lawmakers and agencies raised concerns about inspections, fairness to licensed food businesses and public health oversight, and the bill was voluntarily deferred for further work.
BATON ROUGE — Lawmakers on the House Health and Welfare Committee on May 8 considered HB 150, which would expand and clarify Louisiana’s cottage‑food law to allow additional homemade foods for sale, add labeling requirements and change the current $30,000 cap for some producers.
Representative Coats said the aim is to give small producers clearer rules so they can sell foods they produce at home. “There are many people…starting micro farms and trying to sustain themselves,” she said, describing cooks and small producers who want a defined pathway to sell jams, shelf‑stable goods and, with guardrails, some potentially perishable foods.
The bill’s amendment package added definitions and a food‑safety classification for potentially hazardous foods that require temperature control, and it proposed training requirements and labeling to identify home production. “It gives them clarity of what they can and can’t do,” Coats said of the amendments, which were adopted by the committee.
But LDH officials and the Louisiana Restaurant Association raised concerns about public health oversight and fairness. Kim Humboldt, general counsel for LDH, said the department does not have authority to enter private homes and lacks the inspection mechanism to oversee widespread home food production. “We do not have the authority to enter a private home,” she said, noting LDH conducts tens of thousands of inspections a year for permitted food establishments.
Restaurant and retail trade groups warned that removing regulatory and cap limits could create an uneven playing field with licensed restaurants and food manufacturers, and could incentivize operators to avoid permitting and inspection requirements. Stan Harris of the Louisiana Restaurant Association said the bill would create “a duplicity of how we approach business.”
After extended discussion and multiple proposed edits, Representative Coats agreed to continue work with LDH, agriculture and market stakeholders; she accepted a voluntary deferral so lawmakers can refine language on limits, labeling and training. The committee adopted the drafted amendments but then voted to defer HB 150 so sponsors and stakeholders can develop compromise language for a future hearing.
Lawmakers said they support small businesses and local producers but want to avoid creating public‑health risks or undermining regulated food businesses.
