TRENTON, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — New Jersey home bakers may soon be able to have the freedom to finally make a profit off their craft as the Institute of Justice and the New Jersey Home Bakers Association fight to overturn a law that made it illegal to do so.
“It's just a win for everyone across New Jersey,” says Rob Peccola, an attorney with the institute of Justice, which is representing the New Jersey Home Bakers Association.
Currently, New Jersey is the only state in the nation where it is illegal to sell homemade baked goods, due to sanitation concerns.
That means that bakers who work out of their homes and those who took up the craft during the pandemic have been unable to legally sell their cakes, pastries and other desserts.
The New Jersey Home Bakers Association has been fighting for a decade to overturn the law but, is beginning to make headway with the help of the institute.
“If people have more legal income, that can change the kind of loans that they qualify for, it can change the kind of risks they could take as entrepreneurs,” says Peccola.
Already, the New Jersey Public Health Council has voted to approve the rule overturning the law. Now, it just has to be published.
The baking group is hopeful that by the end of the summer, home bakers can begin applying to start legally selling their goods.
And, as far as COVID-19 concerns stand, research has show that contamination risk is quite low.
“The science that covers infections covers infections of all types. When you go to the literature on this – whether it's a virus, whether it's cross contamination – all of it is extremely unlikely,” Peccola said.
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