News Release: The Full Platter’s Christmas Cottage Food Guide
NEWS RELEASE from the Platte Institute
Contact: Adam Weinberg
Phone: (402) 452-3737
aweinberg@platteinstitute.org
The Full Platter’s Christmas Cottage Food Guide
Registry of Food Producers Growing After New Law
OMAHA, NE – With the Christmas and holiday season upon us, many Nebraskans may still be looking for the right present for a loved one or a confection for a party.
To help make the season even brighter, the Platte Institute is distributing a growing list of Nebraska food producers who are able to share their delicacies with more customers thanks to the state’s newly-expanded cottage food law.
“The Full Platter’s Christmas Cottage Food Guide” contains contact information for Nebraska cottage food producers specializing in homemade baked goods and delicacies, including cookies, cakes, roasted coffee, and much more. The 67 producers are based in 23 counties.
The directory is available online at the Platte Institute’s new blog, https://www.thefullplatter.com/. Content from The Full Platter may be republished or rebroadcast in whole or in part with attribution. Readers may subscribe here to receive updates about new posts at The Full Platter.
“The Full Platter’s Christmas Cottage Food Guide” is based on a public record provided by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s cottage food producer registry. The new cottage food law, Sen. Sue Crawford’s LB304, allows home-bakers and other producers to sell products directly to customers that were previously allowed to be sold only at farmers markets.
Because farmers markets tend to be held in warm weather months, Nebraska home-bakers would often miss out on the opportunity to sell their foods during the Christmas and holiday season.
Food producers must register with the department, take a food safety and handling course from an accredited program, and have any private wells used in food production tested.
“At the beginning of 2019, it was technically illegal to run a business baking and selling cakes from your home in Nebraska,” said Jim Vokal, Chief Executive Officer of the Platte Institute.
“But here’s the Christmas Miracle: at the end of 2019, we have a growing list of creative, hardworking entrepreneurs running the businesses of their dreams, and Nebraskans have more local and homemade choices than ever before,” said Vokal.
To schedule an interview on the release of The Full Platter’s Christmas Cottage Food Guide, please contact Adam Weinberg at (402) 452-3737 or aweinberg@platteinstitute.org.
The Platte Institute advances policies that remove barriers to growth and opportunity in Nebraska. More media resources are available at PlatteInstitute.org/Media.