Pickle Bill, Pickle Bill, Pickle Me This.

From an email from Heather Gates:

Hearings Set On "Pickle Bill" Regulations; Comments Due By Nov. 30
Contact: Donna Gilson: 608-224-5130

MADISON -- After a season of operating under temporary regulations, home canners who want to sell their wares at farmers' markets and church bazaars can comment at public hearings on a proposed permanent rule that will govern them in the future. The rule would also expand the ability of small-scale maple syrup producers to sell their product without a license.Generally speaking, canned food for sale must be prepared in a licensed, commercial-grade kitchen. But last winter the Wisconsin Legislature passed a law exempting some small-scale businesses from licensing. The regulations written by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection provide details for how people could qualify for the exemption. The permanent regulations would apply to home canners with annual sales of $5,000 or less in foods that are naturally acidic or made acidic by processing, such as pickles, salsa, and jams and jellies, and who sold only at farmers' markets or community events such as church bazaars. The regulations would also allow maple syrup producers to sell up to $5,000 worth of syrup to processors without a license. Maple syrup producers can sell directly to consumers without a license, and neither the temporary nor the permanent regulations change that long-standing provision in the law.Food safety officials are also asking for comments on whether other foods produced on a small scale should be exempt from licensing, and whether those claiming the licensing exemption should be required to register with DATCP.

A copy of the proposed regulation is available online.

You can also receive a copy by calling 608-224-4707; emailing Kathy Roach; or writing to DATCP-DFS, ATTN Kathy Roach, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911.

The same email and postal addresses can be used to mail written comments. You can also comment online.