In NH, cease and desist giving your pickle away !

[Ali Gator]

MANCHESTER, N.H. —
The Manchester City Health Department sent a cease and desist letter to a man who gives away homemade canned food, like pickles, for free, threatening consequences if he doesn't comply.

Daniel Mowery says he's canned pickles, jams, tomatoes, and more for decades. He first started the hobby when he was 20 years old, learning the recipes from his grandmother in Pennsylvania. He hasn't stopped since.

Every year, Mowery says he creates about 70 jars' worth of food, preparing it all from scratch. He gets requests from friends, family, and those who hear recommendations, and sends it to them for free.

All of the supplies, he says, he pays for out of pocket. He also shows off what he's making on social media, with pictures of the latest jars packed with his creations.

Recently, someone offered to pay him cash for one of his items, which he accepted. Then, he says, the problems started.

The Manchester Health Department sent Mowery a cease and desist letter last week, saying he needs a permit to keep canning due to his distribution. The letter also says his kitchen needs a commercial license.

If he doesn't stop what he's doing, the letter says, he could face fines and a court summons.

For Mowery, it raises questions about what constitutes official distribution, and what's considered simple courtesy when preparing food for others.

"How about the church social service, having a bake sale, or anything like that? How about the schools, when they have bake sales for the soccer team?" he asked.

Manchester Health Department sends cease and desist letter to man over pickles

WWW.WMUR.COM

---

The Manchester City Health Department sent a cease and desist letter to a man who gives away homemade canned food, like pickles, for free...

 

[Ali Gator]

I guess it's not a good thing that providers in NH charge premium amounts if you wish to suck on their pickle. They should be giving their pickle away for free. 

[maninsoma]

His stupid mistake was accepting cash.  That transformed his "I'm doing this for free for family & friends" to "I'm running an unlicensed business."  Normally I could join in the outrage against someone just having a minor side hustle, but if food isn't canned properly serious pathogens can grow inside the allegedly preserved food that can cause illness or death.  I find it a bit disingenuous to try to compare this to selling stuff at a bake sale.  At any rate, I'm sure he could resume canning without complying with the state's mandates by simply refusing to provide canned food to anyone he doesn't know personally.  It isn't like the state is going to randomly serve a search warrant on his home to see if he's canning food.