by Rachel Zatterstrom, WCC Organizer

Building on our legislative success in 2012 and 2013, WCC members are launching a campaign to make the Colorado Cottage Foods Act bigger and better in 2015.

And, we need YOUR help! We will need you to write letters to the editor, call legislators, circulate petitions at your local farmers’ market, or join our campaign team to lead the effort in your local community.

The law, originally passed in 2012, gives small producers and home-based entrepreneurs the ability to make up to $5,000 for each eligible food item sold directly to consumers. Apples can now be baked into a value-added pie in a home kitchen, but the current law doesn’t go far enough.

We’re campaigning to expand the Cottage Foods Act to include acidified (pickles, relishes, salsa, hot sauce) and fermented (sauerkraut, kim chi) foods.

Farmers will benefit from additional opportunities to expand businesses and safely turn bountiful harvests into value-added products for direct sale to the growing number of consumers who want access to healthy, locally produced food.

Also, stay tuned for more information about a state ballot initiative for GMO labeling, and updates and action alerts for the next round of public comment on the proposed FDA Food Safety Rules, expected early this summer.

Contact Rachel Zatterstrom for more information and to get involved at rachel(at)westerncoloradoalliance.org or (970) 256-7650.