Making it Legal

Wouldn't you, as a consumer, prefer to purchase the food you eat from an establishment that has met health and quality standards established by the FDA and the local health department? I know I would. So, when I decided to start a baking business of course I decided that I should do it right, by the books, become bonafied (he's a suitor!). Thus began my search for the criteria by which I would become so. In looking through the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Food Safety website I stumbled upon a list of licensing requirements...bingo! Here's what it says:

Type of License Home Bakery
Cool. Sounds like what I need.
Who Needs This License? Home baking of potentially hazardous baked goods
Hazardous goods? I'm not making nuclear reactors here!
Annual Fee $10
Yay! It's cheap! Do I get something I can frame?
Requirements No pets in the home and no carpet in the kitchen
Hmmmm....Do turtles count? Do floor runners count?
Forms Needed License application is supplied at time of inspection.
Inspection? Is this really necessary? I guess I have to prove that I'm not making anything 'hazardous'. Probably shouldn't show him the turtle tank.

All in all - not so tough, but also not as stringent as I would expect if I were ordering from someone who worked out of their home. Might I suggest that they require that home bakers wash their hands, tie their hair back, not cough or sneeze into the food? Really, you Ohio Dept. of Agriculture Health Inspectors. Let's step it up a bit!

So I called to arrange for said inspection. They told me it could happen anytime within the next 3-6 weeks. That narrows it down. Wonder if it will be a surprise inspection. I need enough advance notice to clean my stove.