The legal stuff, plain.
Operator: Jessikah Fechner · Oakland, California
What this means
Who Let Her Bake operates under the California Homemade Food Act (also called the Cottage Food Operation law, codified in California Health & Safety Code section 113758 and related sections). This law allows individuals to prepare certain non-potentially-hazardous foods in a home kitchen for direct sale to customers.
As a Class A Cottage Food Operation, I am registered with Alameda County Environmental Health and have completed the required food handler training. My kitchen passed the self-inspection required by the state, and I follow the rules on labeling, recordkeeping, and food safety set out in the law.
What I can and cannot sell
California limits cottage food operations to specific non-perishable categories. The kinds of items I am permitted to make and sell include:
- Breads, biscuits, churros, pastries, scones, and tortillas
- Cookies, granola, and similar baked goods
- Other baked items that do not require refrigeration
Items requiring refrigeration (cream-filled pastries, custard pies, items with meat or fresh dairy fillings, etc.) are not permitted under Class A cottage food law. If you ever request something I cannot legally make, I will let you know and suggest an alternative.
Where I can sell
As a Class A operation, I am permitted to sell directly to consumers in California only. That includes direct delivery, pickup, farmers markets, special events, and similar in-person or local channels. I do not ship orders out of California, and I do not sell through traditional wholesale channels (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.).
My annual gross sales are limited to $75,000 per calendar year, the Class A cottage food cap my Alameda County registration is approved for.
Allergen notice
My kitchen handles common allergens including:
- Wheat / gluten
- Eggs
- Milk and dairy
- Tree nuts (in some products)
- Soy (in some products)
Even when a specific product does not list one of these as an ingredient, cross-contamination is possible because everything is made in the same kitchen on shared equipment. If you have a serious allergy, please contact me before ordering to discuss whether what I make will work for you. For severe allergies (especially celiac disease or severe wheat or nut allergies), I cannot guarantee a safe product from a home kitchen that uses these ingredients regularly.
Labeling
Every item I sell is labeled with: the product name, my business name and address, the date made, ingredients in descending order of weight, applicable allergen warnings, my CFO permit number, and the “Made in a Home Kitchen” disclosure required by California law.
Verifying my permit
You can verify my Cottage Food Operation registration with Alameda County Environmental Health directly. They keep a registry of all permitted operations in the county.
Related pages
Questions
Any questions about how I run things, what I can make, or how I handle food safety: wholetherbake@gmail.com. I am happy to walk through any of it.