Committee backs amendment to H.401 to exempt small home food producers from licensure, sets $30,000 threshold

A House committee recommended an amendment to H.401 that would exempt certain home-based food manufacturing establishments from licensure and create new fee tiers based on gross annual receipts, the Office of Legislative Council said.

Katie McLennan, Office of Legislative Council, summarized the changes for the bill, saying the amendment sets a $30,000 gross‑receipts cutoff for several exemption and fee rules and explicitly extends the home‑kitchen exemption beyond bakeries to other food manufacturers operating from a home kitchen. "The licensure requirements and related licensure fees in the subchapter shall not apply to a food manufacturing establishment operating from a home kitchen whose average gross retail sales are less than or equal to 30,000 per year," McLennan…