TUJC Food Safety Advising

08/18/2025

06/16/2025

Texas cottage foods must be labeled with specific information.1. Common or usual name of the product (ie: blueberry muffin).2. Any major allergens present in...

06/16/2025

Happy father's to all the dads out there! May your day be filled with blessings!

06/08/2025

Yes I have read it. Have you?

The Texas Cottage Food Law just got a MAJOR upgrade. As of September 1, 2025, more foods than ever will be allowed to be sold, either directly to the consume...

05/30/2025

Awesome!!

🧁 The Texas Cottage Food Law just got ⚡SUPERCHARGED⚡! Governor Greg Abbott has signed SB 541, the biggest expansion of the Texas Cottage Food Law yet. The bill’s passage puts Texas back on the cutting edge of cottage food laws nationwide!
Some of the changes include:

- Allows wholesale of non-refrigerated foods through a “cottage food vendor”
- The annual sales cap has tripled to $150,000, and is indexed to inflation from now on
- Clarifies (crystal clear) that there are no permits or permit fees required for selling or sampling – EVER
- Removing your home address from the food label with optional DSHS registration. You would get a unique identifier number from DSHS to put on your labels instead.
- This is personal – a new statement of non-inspection for the label that doesn’t read like it was run back and forth through Google translate half a dozen times. “THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.”
- Foods allowed is now an EXCLUSION model. So, there’s no list any more of what you CAN sell, it’s now a list of what you CAN’T sell. Trust me, this is good. You will be able to sell ANY FOOD directly to the consumer under the cottage food law, except:
* meat, meat products, poultry, or poultry products (this doesn’t mean eggs, it means the carcass of a chicken);
* seafood, including seafood products, fish, fish products, shellfish, and shellfish products;
* ice or ice products, including shaved ice, ice cream, frozen custard, popsicles, and gelato;
* low-acid canned goods;
* products containing cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); or
* raw milk and raw milk products

What kind of cottage foods can you sell as of September 1, 2025, that aren’t allowed now? Cheesecakes. Banana pudding. Flan. Pumpkin pie. Cream pies. Cut fruits and vegetables. Cheese. Vegetarian casseroles and pasta dishes. Pizza (no meat). Sandwiches (no meat). Hot meals (no meat). Sense a theme here? No meat. You WILL need to register with DSHS if you are selling foods that require refrigeration, and add some additional information to your labels (date made and a statement about safe handling instructions).

DSHS must make rules regarding registering to sell refrigerated foods, removing your home address from your label, and the process to become a cottage food vendor. I have NO ANSWERS to questions about this process at this time. We will be monitoring closely over the coming months and provide information as soon as it is available.

The changes go into effect on September 1, 2025. Thank you, Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Lois Kolkhorst, Representative Lacey Hull and Judith McGeary at the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance for your hard work contributing to this victory!

LET'S PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!

05/27/2025

The Texas Food Freedom Act is on Governor Abbott's desk! The bill expands the foods allowed to be sold by cottage food producers, triples the annual income cap to $150,000, offers the option of removing your home address from the label, clarifies that no permits or fees are required for sampling or selling, allows wholesale of non-refrigerated foods, and MORE... tell Governor Abbott to sign the bill! Call 512-463-2000 or share your opinion here: https://gov.texas.gov/apps/contact-us/opinion

Read the bill (Enrolled version): https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB541

05/26/2025

On this day, tears for those that never made it home. As I remember those that I once knew and those I didn't being my Forever brothers and sisters in arms. My prayers and condolences to all those families that have a soldier, sailor, marine, airman, or coastie that did not return as they left. On this memorial day you are not forgotten. To include firefighters, police and EMS personnel.

05/23/2025

Check

05/19/2025

ICYMI: A new report reveals that many store-bought rice samples in the US contain high levels of arsenic and cadmium, posing health risks to babies, children, and pregnant women. Here’s what to avoid—and safer options to try. https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arsenic-cadmium-us-rice-health-report?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook

05/12/2025

Say it louder for the people in the back!

02/19/2024

A must read, for those bakers and baking enthusiast.

While they may look like easy gifts to give, you don't want to give the gift of foodborne illness! Bread or cakes baked in canning jars, then applying the lid, can create a low-oxygen environment. This, combined with baked goods high in moisture and low in acid, can support the growth of C. botulinum. Canning jars are not designed to be used in the oven per manufacturer recommendations. Dry heat puts stress on the jars and can cause them to break. The best options? Use oven-safe baking pans for baked goods. Freeze baked goods for later use. Learn more at https://extension.psu.edu/food-preservation-setting-the-record-straight-on-canning-breads-and-cakes and https://www.clemson.edu/extension/food/canning/canning-tips/36cakes-breads.html