Three entrepreneurs filed a complaint against the state agriculture officials in Wisconsin to change the law that prevents selling goods made at home. This was done after the state implemented a rule of preventing the sale of anything not cooked in a licensed commercial kitchen. These include muffins, bread and other baked goods.
Herald Courier noted that breaking the law shall carry a maximum of six months imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. Lisa Kivirist of Browntown, Kriss Marion of Blanchardville and Dela Ends of Brodhead were the ones who filed a civil suit in circuit court, Channel 3000 mentioned. The spokeswoman for the Wisconsin attorney general's office stated in the report that its office is currently reviewing the complaint.
Aside from Wisconsin, New Jersey is also banning unlicensed home-baked goods, according to Gazette Extra. The two states also ban non-hazardous or shelf-stable items that do not require refrigeration. Such restrictions were taken from the Cookie Bill in 2013. If this is so, it would require a total of $80,000 to be able to cover the cost of commercializing kitchens and licensing.
Related report mentioned that the bill was at first blocked from a vote in the Assembly by Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican who owns a commercial popcorn-cooking operation. However, it was again introduced in 2015. In the same report, Erica Smith, women's attorney of the nonprofit Institute for Justice, said, "It's not about food safety. We're talking about cookies and muffins here. It's a competition issue, and courts have held that restricting business and protecting against competition is not a legitimate government interest."
In relation to Erica Smith's statement, related report mentioned that small producers of baked goods and allows sales up to $16,000 a year since Minnesota has rolled back the rules of a need to cook baked-products in a commercial kitchen.
