Mineral Wells Area News

By Tai Saylor, Executive Director, Let’s Grow Crazy

Local food is good food — and thanks to a new state law that took effect Sept. 1, you’ll be seeing more of it in more places.

Most people don’t realize that home-based food producers are regulated under Cottage Food Laws. These laws allow individuals to produce and sell certain foods from their homes, exempting them from many of the requirements for commercial kitchens. Texas has had its version for 14 years, but Senate Bill 541 gives it the biggest upgrade yet.

Here are the four major changes:

• Refrigerated foods now allowed. Home cooks can sell foods that must be kept cold to remain safe, such as cheesecakes, casseroles, cream pies, banana pudding, and cookie dough. Those selling refrigerated items must register with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
• Retail sales are permitted. Cottage food makers can now get into retail establishments, not just direct-to-consumer sales.
• Higher income cap. The annual gross income limit has been raised to $150,000.
• Registration required. Those selling refrigerated items must complete an online state registration.

Some foods are still excluded: meat, poultry, seafood, frozen desserts such as ice cream and gelato, low-acid canned goods, raw milk, and products containing CBD or THC.

For local vendors, including those at the Let’s Grow Crazy Farmers Market, these changes are a huge win. It means more variety at the market, more business opportunities, and more access to locally made food.

Our nonprofit already hosts a twice-monthly farmers market, manages a 36-bed community garden, and offers educational workshops. With the new law, we’ll also be expanding into retail, with an indoor Farmers Market at The Collective.

If you’ve ever thought about starting a food-based business from home, now is the time. And when you do, bring your goodies to the farmers market.

The Let’s Grow Crazy Farmers Market is held the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8 a.m. to noon in Mineral Wells.

For full details on what foods are permitted and excluded, visit homemadetexas.org.

About the Author: Tai Saylor is a Mineral Wells native and the executive director of Let’s Grow Crazy. She also owns her own cottage food business, Meal Prepping Mommy. A graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Nutritional Sciences, she previously taught garden and nutrition classes in New Mexico before returning to Mineral Wells to champion food justice and local agriculture. Tai and her husband, Matt, recently welcomed their first child.