CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A Cape Coral bakery owner is pushing for changes to Florida's Cottage Food Law. She believes current regulations create an uneven playing field between storefront businesses and home-based operations.
Bess Charles, owner of Lady Cakes Bakery in Cape Coral, has spent 11 years building her business. Hear what she says her main concerns are:
"When I started, there was maybe 20 at home bakers, 11 years ago. Now there's thousands," Charles said.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Cottage Food Law allows individuals to sell food from their homes without permits as long as products have a low risk of foodborne illness and sales don't exceed $250,000.
"They have no health inspections, they have no checks and balances," Charles said.
According to state officials, home bakeries aren't required to undergo health inspections, unless a complaint is filed.
"As with any industry, there's always people who don't follow the rules, and those people unfortunately give everybody else a bad name," Charles said.
The Department of Agriculture requires home bakers to include a disclaimer on packaging stating: "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations."
Charles emphasizes her concern isn't just about competition, but consumer safety and industry health.
"Ultimately, I want it to be safe for consumers. I want it to be healthy for our industry. I want us all to be profitable because there's so much business for us all, but it also has to be fair for everyone as well," Charles said.
Fox 4 has reached out to local and state representatives on this matter and is waiting for responses.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
