AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Education/Credentials BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
I'm considering starting a home baked goods "business" for a little extra cash. I've read your responses about needing a separate kitchen to meet Illinois state requirements and about getting a food handler certification. Do I still need the certification if I'm working at a rented certified kitchen?
Also, does the entire process need to be done in the certified kitchen? For example, if I wish to sell cakes, do they have to be baked, decorated, and packaged at the certified kitchen? Or can I take the cake home for decoration/packaging?
And lastly, I'm not anticipating selling a whole lot of product...do I need to worry about labeling for ingredients, allergies, etc?
Thanks so much!
Answer Hi Nancy,
Yes, you need to be a certified food handler whether you are working out of a separate kitchen in your own home or in a rented certified kitchen. To find classes in your area, go to http://www.idph.state.il.us/ and click on the "Food Sanitation Manager Certification Courses" hot link (3rd box down on the right). This will take you a map of the state of Illinois. Click on your county to view courses offered in your area -- you'll need to call the instructor for more details.
And yes, the entire process of preparing cakes should be done in the certified kitchen.
As far as labeling, the FDA requires a packaged product label the lists the following: name of the product; list of ingredients in decreasing order of predominance by weight; net weight or volume; and contact information of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. Nutrition information is not required unless you make a specific claim or have annual gross sales made or business done in sales to consumers that is more than $500,000 and have annual gross sales made or business done in sales of food to consumers of more than $50,000.
