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U.S. NEWS Monday 19 June 2017
Home bakers in New Jersey stew over country’s last ban

you put a price tag on it, their baked goods away that he had a good meet- and also to changes since
that baked good becomes for free,” Jedynak said, cit- ing with the group and is the bill was originally intro-
illegal, it becomes contra- ing a lobbying day earlier waiting to hear back from duced that would require
band basically.” this year where 500 cookies another lawmaker about home bakers to take food
Erica Jedynak, who runs and cake pops were dis- concerns over licensing, safety courses.Coriston,
the New Jersey chapter tributed at the statehouse. which he thinks should be who lives in the rural north-
of the conservative Ameri- “No one was poisoned, stricter.“I’m just trying to do west part of the state, cooks
This June 13, 2017 photo pro- cans for Prosperity, said there was no health issues. this the right way,” he said. artisan cookies and breads
vided by Chris Looney shows that the ban is an example The lawmakers ate it all up “If these were individuals from recipes passed down
Irish soda bread baked by
Mandy Coriston at her home of special interests trying to down in Trenton.” who are trying to be en- by her grandmother and
in Newton, N.J. New Jersey “control competition and State Sen. Joseph Vitale, a trepreneurial, I’m just try- great-grandmother. She
now stands alone as the only limit enterprise.” The group Democrat who has so far ing to make sure the pub- said she has modernized
state that bars people from is helping the home-bakers refused to bring the mea- lic is protected.”Supporters the recipes, including using
selling baked goods they group lobby lawmakers. sure up for consideration in of the measure point to a higher-quality and locally
make at home. Coriston is “These women can give his Senate committee, said $50,000 cap on income sourced ingredients. q
working with a group that is
pushing lawmakers in New
Jersey to eliminate a ban on
selling home baked goods.
(AP Photo/Chris Looney)
By JOSH CORNFIELD
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) —
There’s only one thing
preventing baker Mandy
Coriston from selling the
Irish soda bread she makes
from her great-grandmoth-
er’s recipe inside her old
cast-iron skillets: She lives in
New Jersey.
New Jersey is now the only
state in the U.S. where peo-
ple can’t sell home-baked
goods after a Wisconsin
court this month invalidat-
ed that state’s ban.
Wisconsin officials have
said they may appeal the
judge’s decision, but the
state Senate passed a bill
Wednesday that would
allow home bakers to sell
without a license.
A push by a group in-
cluding Coriston to over-
turn New Jersey’s law has
drawn plenty of supporters
over the last eight years,
but one state lawmaker
has so-far blocked it from
being considered because
of concerns over public
health issues.The home-
bakers group says they
want the right to sell some
of their goods to earn a liv-
ing or just to make some
extra money without hav-
ing to open storefronts or
pay to work out of com-
mercial kitchens.
Coriston points out that it’s
legal in the state for peo-
ple to sell baked goods
at charity events, but not
for those who want to run
a small business using the
same products.
“Same ingredients. Same
kitchens. Same bakers that
want to do this for profit,”
she said. “But the second