Can the Tamale Act Unlock the American Dream?
The Colorado bill, says one of its co-sponsors, comes at a time when home-based businesses are surging and more states are easing regulations.
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Here are today’s highlights:
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REGULATION
New homemade food rules could expand opportunity while protecting public health: “My mother and grandmother were migrant farmworkers in California. When the long hours in fields under the hot sun weren’t enough to sustain their families, they did what many hardworking Latina women did before them: They found a creative solution to make ends meet. My grandmother would cook for other farmworkers and sell burritos, tamales, and salsas out of her small farmhouse. My mother was right there beside her, learning how to stretch a dollar and feed a community. In kitchens filled with the scent of fresh tortillas, these women taught me that hard work and sacrifice could help a family unlock the American Dream.”
But if my grandmother tried to sell her homemade food in Colorado today, she could be shut down by regulators and hit with hundreds of dollars in fines. Selling burritos out of your car can be the first step to making dreams a reality. Operating a small home kitchen can help an entrepreneur put away enough money to eventually open a food truck or allow a young family to afford a down payment on a starter home.”
“Colorado’s Tamale Act, working its way through the state legislature, loosens the rules governing home kitchens and gives entrepreneurs who can’t afford the start-up costs for a restaurant or food truck a chance to build a business. The bill, which I co-sponsored, comes at a time when home-based businesses are surging and a growing number of states are passing laws liberalizing regulations around homemade food sales.”
“The Tamale Act allows home chefs to sell these foods if they complete a required temperature-controlled food safety course. The new rules would expand economic opportunity while protecting public health. Research shows homemade food is safe. The Institute for Justice analyzed data from the seven states with the broadest food laws and found no significant instances of foodborne illness traced back to homemade foods.” READ MORE
