Rep. Driscoll Submits Testimony in Support of H.2153

BOSTON, June 21, 2023

Representative Bill Driscoll Jr. submitted the following testimony to the Joint Committee on Public Health, in support of H.2153, An Act to promote economic opportunity by licensing home kitchens:

I am writing to respectfully request that H. 2153, An Act to promote economic opportunity by licensing home kitchens, receive a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Public Health.

The idea for this legislation originated from a Randolph constituent who expressed to me that he and others felt disconnected from local businesses. To engage with neighbors, he cooked from home and thought about selling the food; however, he soon discovered it would be illegal to sell meals from his home kitchen. In response, he asked me to file legislation to establish a regulatory system to enable home cooks to make and sell meals from their kitchens.

Home kitchen enterprises are an exciting opportunity for residents to start small businesses. By allowing home cooks to start without the burdensome overhead costs, H. 2153 will create more economic opportunities for immigrant and minority communities like Randolph to share culturally specific cuisines, in addition to offering an additional income stream to Massachusetts families more broadly. By entrusting DPH to implement training, inspection, and licensure for qualified home kitchen operations, this bill ensures a commitment to food safety.

Thank you for your consideration of this legislation, I hope that the Committee will report H. 2153 out favorably. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with questions or requests for additional information.

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