Sign on to support the Home-to-Market Act, Illinois HB2615/SB2007

Join us in helping farmers, home-bakers, artisan food-makers, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, and entrepreneurs across the state to grow the food business of their dreams. Organizations and agencies that sign on will be added to the bill fact sheets, webpage, and educational materials provided to lawmakers and will receive marketing materials to share with your members and stakeholders. 

What is Cottage Food?

Cottage foods are foods prepared and packaged in a home-kitchen. These include artisan foods such as jams, jellies, pickles, hot sauces, and salsas, as well as baked goods such as cakes, cookies, scones, and fresh-baked breads. Cottage food law gives farms the abililty to process, can, and add value to their raw products so that they have additional products to sell over the winter months. It also gives food entrepreneurs a safe space to test new products and earn income without having to invest in an expensive commercial kitchen. Cottage food operations help feed their communities, spark innovation in the food sector, keep food dollars local, and build the local food economy across the state. 

What's the problem:

Current regulations restrict cottage food operations to selling their products through seasonal farmers markets, with few exceptions They cannot sell from their home, they cannot sell through fairs and festivals, they cannot deliver to your door, and they cannot ship products to you. They have very few options for selling over the winter, and farmers markets are not available in every community. These regulations hamper business growth and cripple start-up food businesses. What's more, home-based food businesses and farms have been hit hard by the pandemic. These small businesses have been left out of pandemic relief efforts and are struggling with lack of sales opportunities. In 2020, many farmers markets delayed opening, shifted to online ordering, or changed their regulations, leaving cottage food vendors with few options to sell their products. YET, there is unprecedented demand for more opportunities to start home-based food businesses. With layoffs and pandemic-related safety issues, more individuals are searching for ways to safely earn income from their homes. Reforming cottage food law will provide more entrepreneurs, especially women, minority, and low-income entrepreneurs, a means to start or grow a home-based food business and bring in additional income during this critical time.  Furthermore, Cottage food businesses are in the perfect position to provide safe, low- or no-contact delivery or pick-up options that customers are looking for, but the law needs to change so that they can better grow their businesses and meet the needs of their communities. 

What does the Home-to-Market Bill Do? 

• Expands sales avenues for cottage food producers to include sales at fairs and festivals, from home, online, and through home delivery, enabling cottage food entrepreneurs to reach new customers and grow their businesses.
• Includes buttercream icing to the list of products that can be made in a home kitchen, freeing up home bakers to make cakes, cupcakes, and other in-demand baked goods.
• Adds further food safety provisions in order to insure public safety while reasonably allowing farmers and food entrepenuers to operate from home kitchens.

Who will benefit? 

• Women-owned businesses. In a recent survey by Illinois Stewardship Alliance, 77% of cottage food entrepreneurs are owned by women.
• Low-income entrepreneurs by providing a low-cost entry point for starting and growing a food business.
• Small farmers.  In a recent survey by Illinois Stewardship Alliance, 33% of cottage food entrepreneurs described themselsves. Cottage foods give farmers the ability to add more value to their fruits and vegetables and increase their bottom lines by turning them into the products that consumers crave. They also make Illinois farmers markets and agritourism venues more unique and more marketable. 
• The public. This bill provides consumers with more choice and more options to support local farms and businesses in our state and experience unique and delicious products grown and made in Illinois

Equity Impact:

• This bill will address food sovereignty. People should reasonably be able to make and sell food to feed their communities, and this bill provides that opportunity.
• This bill will provide greater opportunity to minority and women-owned businesses who have traditionally had less resources to start their own businesses. 

Economic Impact: 

• This bill will grow the number and income of food businesses in our state, capturing greater tax revenue for our state.
• This bill will support hometown economies by keeping more food dollars local and spurring the growth of local businesses.
• The bill will open up new markets for farmers. In a recent survey by Illinois Stewardship Alliance, an overwhelming majority of cottage food producers prioritize purchasing ingredients from neighboring farms and businesses.
• The bill will build both rural and urban economies. In a recent survey by Illinois Stewardship Alliance, over 1/2 of all cottage food producers live in rural areas.