Soon I plan to introduce legislation that will expand Pennsylvania’s limited food establishment laws.

Currently in our Commonwealth home kitchens can only make non-hazardous foods for purchase. This includes:
 

• Shelf-stable bakery items such as bread, cookies, muffins.

 

• Jellies and jams.

 

• Candy:
  • Lollipops, candy canes, fudge, caramels, cotton candy, chocolates, truffles, and rock candy.

 

• Some Beverages:
  • Root beer, lemonade, lemon iced tea, kombucha, and other acidic or fermented drinks.
  • Fruit and vegetables juices.

 

• Canned foods:
  • Naturally acidic foods (many fruits, including apples, peaches, and lemons.)
  • Acidified foods (pickled vegetables, including salsa, chow-chow, and barbecue sauces.)
  • Fermented foods (kimchi and sauerkraut.)

This legislation would expand upon the current list of foods that can be made and sold from home kitchens. Multiple states have already joined in the movement to allow micro-enterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKO). This allows for culinary entrepreneurs to enter the food industry without the need to take on an incredible amount of debt and would give them the opportunity to become rooted in their communities and expand if they desire to become full restaurants in the future.

Please join me in sponsoring this innovative and important piece of legislation. We should be doing all that we can to encourage residents to follow their dreams and cut the bureaucratic red tape, and burden of debt.