Cottage businesses not only empower entrepreneurs, and artisan/craftspersons to turn their skills into profitable businesses, they also foster community development, promote local economic growth, and preserve traditional practices and recipes.

Every state has some kind of “cottage food” law that lets home cooks sell food to the public. These range from onerous (Delaware) to expansive (Wyoming), but few are perfect. Even in Maine, known for its Food Sovereignty Act, things could be easier for kitchen entrepreneurs.

As the Institute for Justice’s Food Freedom Initiative attests:

Cottage food is safe. Critics who talk about the risk of food-borne illness give hypothetical examples of what could go wrong because real-world cases are rare or nonexistent. There has never been an outbreak of foodborne illness from food sold under a cottage food law–even in California, a state with an economy bigger than most countries that has one of the most expansive laws.

Cottage food is local. When neighbors trade with neighbors, money stays in the local economy and creates and strengthens communities.

Cottage food is transparent. People who buy from a cottage food producer know what they get. If they have questions about ingredients, sourcing or safety, they can ask.

Your legislators need to hear from you, even if you live in a state that already has a pretty good cottage food law. Things could change and not always for the better. 

TAKE ACTION: Demand Cottage Food Freedom! Expand Sales of Homemade Food in Your State!

READ MORE: Best and Worst Cottage Food Laws

by Linda Stewart, The Microbiologist:

“‘What makes wild blueberries remarkable is that they contain numerous polyphenols and nutrients and don’t appear to exert their health benefits through just one mechanism,’ explains Sarah A. Johnson, PhD, RDN, Associate Professor at Florida State University, registered dietitian nutritionist, and lead author of the review.

The evidence suggests these berries may support multiple biological pathways relevant to cardiometabolic health, from blood vessel function to inflammation and oxidative stress, with effects that can vary from person to person. Recent research on the role of the gut microbiome in determining their health benefits is exciting and may help researchers determine ways to support the gut microbiome to enhance their health benefits.

The review describes several pathways that may be involved, including nitric oxide signaling that supports healthy circulation, inflammation and oxidative stress pathways, lipid and glucose metabolism, and interactions with the gut microbiome.”

Traditional knowledge recognized their value, and today’s research continues to explore how the unique composition of wild blueberries may support health when eaten as part of an overall balanced diet

Marie Jackson’s father died in 2022 after struggling with several illnesses. Then, about a year ago, her goats started dying. Now, Marie has nodules growing on her thyroid. She and her parents worked at the local stain-resistant carpet factories in Dalton, GA, that have since been exposed as among the biggest PFAS polluters in the world. 

Marie suspected she and her parents had forever chemicals in their blood and that their decades of PFAS exposure were to blame for their health problems. Last fall, she and her mother finally learned the truth. Their PFAS levels were well above safety thresholds.

The communities in and around Dalton, Georgia, are becoming endocrine cancer hotspots because stain-resistant carpet companies have been dumping their PFAS-contaminated waste onto their land and into their water. Concerns are growing that the PFAS contamination has gotten into the local food supply.

Dalton Utilities has forested land they use as a dump for carpet wastewater that they know is soaked with PFAS, but it has long-hosted hunts for wildlife there. Dalton Utilities spreads its carpet-waste sludge on farms and even gave it to home gardeners as “compost.” Dalton is an extreme but not unusual case. Toxic sludge is dumped on farmland and sold as compost across the country.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State Legislators Farms Shouldn’t Be Toxic Sewage Sludge Dumps!

READ MORE & WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: Inside America’s Carpet Capital: An Empire and Its Toxic Legacy

Contaminated: The Carpet Industry’s Toxic Legacy

Maggie Hudlow, Meat Eater:

“A concerning bill is moving through the Florida legislature that would make it legally and financially jeopardizing to publicly criticize agricultural products and practices. While it may seem, on the surface, like an attempt to protect farmers from defamation, this provision could serve more as a tool to silence the public from speaking out about environmental concerns.

Hunters, anglers, and conservationists have relied on raising their unified voices for years to protect public lands, wildlife, and waterways. This legislation threatens our ability to do so.

Buried deep inside a farm bill omnibus package in SB 290/HB 433 is a provision that expands on Florida’s existing food libel law to cover non-perishable foods, along with agricultural practices, and adds on one-way attorney fees.

Food libel laws exist in 13 states and vary by state, but they essentially allow a food producer, processor, manufacturer, or distributor to sue individuals or groups who make disparaging statements about their food products.” 

The broader nationwide implications of this bill are chilling

For too long, corporate interests have dominated our food system, putting profits over people and the planet.

But you can help us change that. The Organic Consumers Association is working tirelessly to promote a more just and sustainable food system, and we need your support.

Two critical issues demand our attention:

1. Cottage Food Freedom: We’re fighting to empower local food producers and promote community development by expanding sales of homemade food in every state. Cottage food is safe, local, and transparent – and it’s time our laws reflect that.

2. Toxic Sludge-Free Farms: We’re working to stop the dumping of toxic sewage sludge on farmland and protect our food supply from contamination.
Forever chemicals like PFAS are poisoning our land, water, and bodies – and it’s time to take action.

Will you join us in this fight?

Your donation will help us advocate for policies that support local food producers, organic and regenerative farm practices and promote community development. As well as exposing the truth about PFAS toxic sewage sludge, pesticides and their impact on our food system.

Help us continue to build this growing movement of concerned people who care about their food and the health of planet for now and future generations. Together, we can create a healthier, more just food system for all.

Please consider donating today, you can help make a difference!

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Have you considered making a grant request from your Donor-Advised Fund?

Christoph Randler, The Conversation:

“There’s no question that being in nature is good for wellbeing. Research shows that experiencing nature and listening to natural sounds can relax us.

A key reason for these benefits may be because of the appeal of birds and their pleasant songs that we hear when in nature.

Studies show that people feel better in bird-rich environments. Even life satisfaction may be related to the richness of the bird species in an area. Our results show that a walk in nature is beneficial in and of itself – but the sounds of natural birdsong can further boost these wellbeing benefits, especially if you make a concerted effort to pay attention to it.

You don’t even need to know a lot about birds to get these benefits, as our study showed. The positive effect was seen in everyone from casual birdwatchers through to bird nerds.”

Our study’s results are a good message for everyday life. You don’t need a visit to bird-rich environments to make you happy.

Tom Perkins, The Guardian:

“The chemical giant Corteva will stop producing Enlist Duo, a herbicide considered to be among the most dangerous still used in the US by environmentalists because it contains a mix of Agent Orange and glyphosate, which have both been linked to cancer and widespread ecological damage.

The US military deployed Agent Orange, a chemical weapon, to destroy vegetation during the Vietnam war, causing serious health problems among soldiers and Vietnamese residents.

Glyphosate, meanwhile, is a highly controversial and toxic herbicide ingredient that has prompted similar litigation. Both are banned or severely restricted in many industrialized countries.

Despite the risks of combining the substances, the US Environmental Protection Agency has twice approved it for use on food crops. The compound is annually spread on around 4.5m acres of fields in which corn, soybeans and genetically engineered cotton are grown.”

The move will bring to an end a decade of litigation and public pressure campaigns to ban Enlist Duo, and advocates are “celebrating it as a win”

ACTION ALERT: Tell the EPA to Ban Glyphosate Now!

Max Goldberg, Organic Insider:

“For decades, organic has been surging in popularity among consumers, with the sector growing 5.2% in 2024 and topping more than $71 billion in sales. While that is welcome news, the domestic supply of organic is just not keeping pace, and last Friday, the National Organic Coalition held a webinar titled Why Are We Losing Organic Farms? to discuss this very topic.

From 2021 to 2023, the data showed a decrease in organic acreage for field crops, a significant drop for pasture and rangeland, and little to no change in non-field crops. In aggregate, the decrease is approximately 1.5 million acres from 2021 to 2023, taking into account that we do not have data for 2024 and 2025.

What this indicates is that while the U.S. organic industry has been growing its top-line sales, there has been an increasing reliance on imports, as the total amount of U.S. organic acreage — at approximately 7.5 million acres — continues to decline.”

Read about why growing U.S. organic production and restoring regulatory integrity go hand-in-hand

Mark Travers Ph.D., Psychology Today:

“When you become a more trusting individual, it eases the pressure to control and measure every moment of happiness. Trust, in this way, helps you anchor well-being in bonds with others, creating a form of happiness that is not only more sustainable but also less fragile.

Rather than questioning if you’re ‘happy enough,’ you can relax into shared experiences, knowing that joy can emerge naturally in connection. Trust creates a sense of safety, which allows positive emotions to flow more freely and deeply.

In a 2025 study published in Psychological Bulletin, researchers set out to explore the link between trust and happiness in a much deeper way. They conducted a large-scale meta-analysis, pulling from studies that included over 2.5 million participants in total.

Instead of looking at just one group or one moment in time, they examined trust across different ages, cultures, and types of trust, which included trust in people, relationships, or institutions.” 

The findings revealed that it’s not just a one-way link. Trust and happiness create a reinforcing loop. Here are two primary ways this happens.

How the Rise in the Cottage Food Industry Is Taking On The Might of Big Food Corporations

Please Take a Moment To Write Your Senators and Urge Them To Protect the Boundary Waters From Toxic Mining

A Lesson on Sugarcane.

Dark Showering: Is This the Very Best Way To Wash?

New Research Reveals How Kimchi May Boost Your Immune System

Restaurants Are Navigating a New Era of Social Justice Activism — and There’s No Easy Playbook

Natural Propolis  Mouthwash Outperforms Synthetic Counterpart

Bureau of Land Management Just Authorized the Livestock Lobby to Police Its Own Damage

The 50+ Foods That Represent Every State in the US, According to a New Survey

Tell Congress to Make It Easier for Farmers to Raise Local Meat & Poultry

Valentine’s Day: Showing Love for You or Another With the Perfect Fragrance Gift

What Happens When a Neighborhood Is Built Around a Farm

Financing Biodiversity: Lisa Miller on Investing in Nature

The U.S. Farmers Saving Palestinian Seeds

‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water: How Exposure Can Impact Infant Health

EU Relaxes Regulations on the Circulation of Transgenic Products

Muir Glen Changes Hands as Organic Market Finds New Rhythm

The 2026 Cottage Food Revolution: A State-by-State Legal Map for Home Bakers

Please sign this alert and tell Congress to begin regulating pesticides on flowers!