Bill
Bill > HB402
summary
Introduced
01/12/2026
01/12/2026
In Committee
03/03/2026
03/03/2026
Crossed Over
02/09/2026
02/09/2026
Passed
04/13/2026
04/13/2026
Dead
Signed/Enacted/Adopted
04/13/2026
04/13/2026
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Cottage food laws; sale of certain food over phone and internet; work group; report. Expands the exemption from state inspection requirements for private homes where the resident processes and prepares certain food products, including pickles and other acidified vegetables, to allow for such person to sell such products at any location, through the internet, or by telephone to an individual in the Commonwealth for his own consumption and deliver such products in person, by mail, or by delivery service subject to certain restrictions. Current law only allows for the sale to take place in person at the private home, a temporary event, or a farmer's market. The bill also directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a work group to examine the structural, equipment, and facility standards for private homes in the Commonwealth producing products that do not meet the cottage food law exemptions. The bill requires the work group to complete its meetings by November 1, 2026, and report its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by the first day of the 2027 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
AI Summary
This bill expands the ability for individuals operating under cottage food laws to sell certain homemade food products, such as pickles and other acidified vegetables, by allowing sales to occur at any location, online, or over the phone to individuals within the Commonwealth for their personal consumption, and permits delivery in person, by mail, or by a delivery service, moving beyond the previous restrictions of in-person sales only at the home, temporary events, or farmers' markets. Additionally, the bill mandates the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a work group to study and recommend structural, equipment, and facility standards for private homes that produce food products not covered by existing cottage food exemptions, with this work group required to complete its meetings by November 1, 2026, and submit its findings to legislative committees by the start of the 2027 General Assembly session.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sponsors (3)
Last Action
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0605) (on 04/13/2026)
Taxonomy
Agriculture
- ‐ Food Inspection and Safety
Banking, Finance, and Domestic Commerce
- ‐ Food Industry
Official Document
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