The Economic and Community Development Institute has been helping entrepreneurs in Columbus to start up and grow their businesses for the past five years.
Columbusunderground.com interviews Bob Leighty and Amy Szabo recently to talk about ECDI’s new “Kitchen Incubator” program and what it can mean both for entrepreneurs as well as the community as a whole.
It’s official. The new Ohio Dept. of Ag Cottage food rules were released. The rules now allows for a variety of new foods to be home produced, without the need for an inspected commerical kitchen. This opens up opportunities for small food producers to expand into new areas with little overhead cost. It also expands [...]
A Food Chain Meeting that will take place early the morning of July 16th in Bellville. It will be at the Dutch Heritage Restaurant just off of Interstate 71 (four exits north of Polaris). This bi-monthly meeting has proved to be a great networking opportunity for growers, processors, buyers, and others to meet. The topic [...]
On Wednesday, May 27, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (CA-30) released a discussion draft of his food safety bill, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill is largely based on provisions in H.R. 259, the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Dingell earlier this [...]
I was really excited about this message (below) until I read further into it. “…for the production of a premium brand of creatively designed fruit based preserves.” Farmers can already make their own jelly at home. It’s covered under the cottage food exemption. You’ll find fruit preserves at every farmers’ market in Ohio.
What our farm [...]
On Wednesday, May 13th the ODA held the public hearing on expanding the list of “Cottage” foods (see that article). A number of farmer’s market managers and vendors spoke in support of the rule change. No one spoke in opposition. Several witnesses spoke of the economic benefits of new small businesses that can now start [...]
Cottage foods are those that are allowed to be produced in a home without need of a commercial kitchen it allows food entrepreneurs to sell their goods without significant start-up capital.
There will be a public hearing on Wednesday May 13th at 8:30 am at ODA to review a proposal to expand the list of foods [...]
The analysis below clarifies what the bill will and will not do. Mentioned is HR.759 which can cause some issues for small farmers including recordkeeping requirements for farms and safety standards for fresh produce.
Link to HR.759 PDF
Link to HR.875 PDF
Food & Water Watch’ s Statement on H.R. 875 and the Food Safety Bills
The dilemma [...]
Community cannery is being explored in eastern upstate NY. The cannery will serve local farmers as a co-packer providing canned foods that farmers will sell directly to their customers.
It may be worth following their progress for ideas on our own Ohio regional cannery.
Schoharie Co-op Cannery.
Leslie Schaller, Consultant and Director of AceNet’s Food Venture Center will be presenting at a state level meeting next Wednesday, February 18th from 10-12:00 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture
If you are in any stage of the process of developing a Food Business Incubator – or “shared use commercial kitchen”. please join us.
The goals of [...]