Packaging worries.

[ganner17]

Im trying to start a home based baking business. I love to bake!!! That's all i do even at home, I like to make food, but i can only eat so much! I would like to begin selling my products. I currently work as a pastry chef. Im just a little lost at where to start though. What would be the best way to package the food? I thought about vacuum sealing but am afraid it will alter the intregrity of the muffins and such. Plus they are very expensive. Does anyone have an idea?

[KyleW]

I think it depends on what you are shipping. I shipped cookies, quick breads and enriched yeast breads all over the country and figured out the 2 rules of shipping. You need to immobilize the goods inside the package and you need to immobilize the package inside the shipping box. My cookies contained lots of fat so freshness was not an issue. I used coffee bags, suffed with deli paper, to ship. I suffed the boxes with packing paper from the moving store. It was the mose cost effective. I would make sure that the shelf life of what you're shipping is at least a week, if not more.

[ajoe]

If you prefer vacuum sealing and this will be a small operation, you may want to check the supermarket. I was in my local store yesterday and saw several inexpensive handheld vac units that work with zip-lock style bags.

There are also a variety of rigid plastic containers with snap closures that are widely available in food service which could also work.

[chefswanny]

Whenever starting a new business, it is imperative that you check with your local laws regarding food production. Most state and local governments require food producers to have a HCCP plan for food safety. (See:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HACCP for more info)
I have found the following link very informative for the HCCP guidelines in my home state of Massachusetts:
mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/environmental/foodsafety/haccp_guide.pdf (copy and paste)
Another way to get a start is to sell your baked goods at a Farmer's Market. Each market will have it's own rules and regulations. Here is a good pdf file about that:
flaginc.org/topics/pubs/arts/FarmersMarket.pdf