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Committee hears HB 505 to let homestead operators sell freeze‑dried foods including dairy items
Summary
Representative Tom Schomburg introduced HB 505 to allow homestead cottage operations to sell freeze‑dried foods, including certain dairy items. Proponents described small‑scale freeze‑drying methods; DHHS cautioned the committee that freeze‑drying potentially hazardous foods requires product‑specific process review.
Representative Tom Schomburg (Wilmot/Sutton) introduced HB 505, a bill to amend the Homestead Cottage law to allow sale of freeze‑dried foods produced in homestead kitchens, including some dairy products he said would become shelf‑stable after the freeze‑drying process.
Lede and testimony Donna and Dave Bates of Bog Mountain Retreat and Sweets (Wilmot) described their small freeze‑dry business and asked the committee to allow homestead operators to sell freeze‑dried ice cream and other freeze‑dried dairy or perishable products without moving to a full commercial kitchen. Bates described the equipment and procedure used in home freeze‑drying: small consumer/prosumer vacuum freeze‑dryers, tray sizes similar to cookie sheets, mask/glove use and sanitation, and packaging with oxygen absorbers and Mylar bags to preserve texture and shelf life.
DHHS…
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