I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
People who want to try to make ends meet by selling food that they make at home may now do so legally, as long as they stick to baked goods, jams and jellies.
A Cottage Food Bill enacted this year allows people to set up small scale food vending operations without the expense of renting a licensed commercial kitchen as long as their revenues are less than $15,000 per year.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the new law is expanding participation in farmers markets around the state.
“I had a lot of inquiries, but we didn’t have any spaces left,” said Nancy Voges, marketing coordinator for the Downtown Rochester Farmers Market and one of many managers who had to turn away vendors.
However, she was able to accept some cottage bakers — including Shannon Winsted of Lapeer — for the upcoming Kris Kringle Market, Dec. 3-5 on West Fourth Street. Winsted, who lost her sales job months ago when her employer closed, used to bake for fun for friends and even made wedding cakes. Now she’d like to launch a baking business, but she can’t afford to rent a licensed kitchen. She hopes cottage baking will give her exposure and provide the added income she needs to become licensed.
Brian Steinberg a chef, cooking and baking instructor, college student and part-time food writer in Ann Arbor told the Free Press that more people should take advantage of the new law.
“Don’t feel like you have to get that farmers market booth to sell things,” he said. “Christmas is coming up. If you have a bunch of friends who want cookies, you can bake cookies for them…. There are church bake sales and sales at schools and clubs.” Now that the cottage food law is on the books, “you can bake out of your home and you don’t have to underground,” he said.
The law requires that each cottage food items be sold directly to consumers and that they are marked with labels that show the ingredients, the name and address of the producers and a notice that it was produced in an undisputed home kitchen.
Details about Michigan’s Cottage Food Law are available at the website of the Dept. of Agriculture.
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