Clemson Extension says ‘Let’s talk about the S.C. Cottage Food Law’

Revisions have been made to South Carolina’s Cottage Food Law and the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service wants to help residents who produce and sell foods from their homes learn how these changes affect them.

The South Carolina Home-Based Food Production Law, or Cottage Food Law, is the law governing food items produced and sold from homes in the state. Originally, items such as cakes, candies and cookies were the only homemade products that could be directly sold to consumers without having a South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) permit. The South Carolina Legislature updated this law on May 23, 2022 to expand types of homemade foods that can be sold.

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Service is holding a meeting to inform stakeholders what this update means for them. The meeting, “Let’s talk about the S.C. Cottage Food Law,” is scheduled from 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Phillips Market Center, 117 Ballard Court, West Columbia, South Carolina 29172. The meeting also will be available via Zoom, https://bit.ly/SC_CottageFoodLaw.

A resource guide to help South Carolina residents navigate the newly revised law is being developed. Kimberly Baker, Clemson Extension Food Systems and Safety Program director, said a draft of the resource guide will be presented during the meeting.

“The purpose of this meeting is to talk with stakeholders about revisions to the law and show them the draft guide,” Baker said. “This meeting is important for anyone who currently is producing home-based foods or would like to produce home-based foods. They will learn about foods that can and cannot be produced under the law, understand other requirements of the law and be able to provide feedback on the resource guide we are developing. We want the guide to be user-friendly for all cottage food producers and be able to easily guide them to developing their home-based business.”

This meeting is free and open to the public. For information, contact the Clemson Food Systems and Safety Program Team at [email protected].