Woman’s Homemade Sauerkraut Highlights Cottage Food Fight in Arizona

Reader Contribution by Food Safety News
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Photo by Fotolia/Comugnero Silvana 

Sandy Boyce and her husband have been making homemade sauerkraut for years by fermenting cabbage purchased from local farmers near their home in Sedona, Arizona. Having long received praise from family and friends for her recipe, Boyce, the director of the nonprofit Verde Valley Community Supported Agriculture, finally decided in 2009 to start selling her specialty at farmers’ markets in the area.

Boyce’s ‘kraut was a hit, sellin 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 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.
 

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