PORTLAND, Ore. — On Aug. 1, Portland, Ore.-based Foodie www.foodie-share.com, launched a food-sharing marketplace for users to buy and sell food from people in their communities. With the rapid evolution of the sharing economy over the past decade, the monetization of home cooked, farmed, or baked food has been overlooked.
Foodie features many different categories of food on the marketplace, including prepared meals, appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, sides, soups, salads, pastries, baked goods, desserts, fruits, vegetables, and uncooked foods.
Almost every state has laws that allow for anyone to sell food prepared in homes. Although each state law is different, most states allow for home food sales of “non-potentially hazardous” foods such as dry baked goods, breads, cookies, jams, jellies, and more.
After passage of the recent law AB-626, California became the first in the union to allow unrestricted home food sales through licensed Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO). This law also presents an opportunity for technology companies to facilitate MEHKO’s to advertise and sell their food. The law references Internet Food Service Intermediaries (IFSI) who have to abide by certain requirements and regulations. Foodie is a registered (IFSI) with the California Department of Public Health.
Founder and CEO of Foodie, Reshad Kazimee said: Although California is the first state to pass such a comprehensive law, many other states have cottage laws which allow for some categories of food to be sold from people’s homes. Due to the broad range of food categories that can be sold on Foodie, we can still have a presence in the other 49 US states while abiding by each state law.
Foodie considers itself a social enterprise with a mission to reduce hunger within communities. The “Foodie Pledge” is to commit to donate 2.5 percent of revenues to hunger programs within communities where revenues are generated.
“The Foodie Pledge is consistent with our company values to give back and our mission to reduce hunger. By embedding this commitment in our business model, we are providing the ability for every Foodie user to participate in our cause and take the food sharing revolution to a literal sense,” Kazimee said.
About Foodie: https://www.foodie-share.com/
Foodie is an online marketplace that allows people within communities to share food. Our mission is to connect people through food and reduce hunger within communities.
