Sauerkraut Freedom
Wednesday, August 15, 2012Mother Earth News has rerun an article that originally appeared on Food Safety News about a woman who has been forced to use back door tactics to sell her homemade, fermented, gut-healthy sauerkraut.
Boyce’s ‘kraut was a hit, selling out each week — until her county health department promptly asked her to stop. Without testing her product, obtaining a food processing license, and making it all at within a certified commercial kitchen, Boyce couldn’t distribute her sauerkraut to the public according to state regulations.
Small-time home producers like Boyce have faced similar hurdles across the nation in recent years over restrictions placed on so-called ‘cottage foods’ — foods made at home and sold to the public. It’s a disagreement that pits state and local governments intending to protect public health against those who say it’s not the government’s job to dictate what they eat.
In order to get around the health department regulations, Sandy Boyce began to label her sauerkraut as “pet food,” a gimmick employed by many who, in certain states, are prevented from having the freedom to sell their popular products in the market. Here’s what happened next:
But the pet food maneuver didn’t last long, either. After the season ended, she received another stopping order — this time a cease-and-desist letter from the Arizona Department of Agriculture for selling animal feed without a license.
Most states allow only certain items to be sold at the market – mostly non-refrigerated items. A quote from the article states the following:
In Michigan, for example, home producers can sell breads and other baked goods, jams and jellies, popcorn, dried herbs, cotton candy, dried pasta, vinegars, and assorted chocolate-covered foods such as pretzels or fruit — as long as their gross annual sales don’t exceed $15,000. The law also explicitly outlines whole categories of food restricted from sale, including meats, dairy products, canned fruits and vegetables, and — you guessed it — sauerkraut.
Hmmm. I buy homemade, fermented sauerkraut … at a certain farmers market in Michigan. This is a very small snapshot of my root cellar, with labels disguised to protect the innocent.
liberranter says:
August 16th, 2012 at 4:31 am
Boyce’s ‘kraut was a hit, selling out each week — until her county health department promptly asked her to stop.
ASKED –not “ordered”– being the key word here. That being the case, Sandy Boyce’s response should have been a resounding FUCK YOU.
da99 says:
August 17th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
A funnier idea would be for her to take a photo of herself giving TWO middle fingers w/ a Cheney-like grin and sending it as the sole response.
However, wouldn’t it be better to save up and buy a plane ticket to a less awful nation-state? Like Commie China. Anyone starting to fantasize about moving to less oppressive countries?
@Karen: All that food?! Are you planning a block party or for global financial collapse?! Either way, what a way to go. Mmm mmm good.
m says:
August 23rd, 2012 at 5:45 pm
My grandma would make sauerkraut every year in a big crock right in the garage. Never got sick from eating it!! The few times I’ve had food poisoning have come from restaurants (where health codes “supposedly” protect us from such things) serving products made by Food, Inc. (again, “supposedly” there are safeguards in place to keep food safe).