[kthull]

Not too sure where to post this, but I was wondering if anyone out there knew whether it's legal to prepare animal food in a home kitchen where preparing people food is not legal.

Just trying to get a let up (no pun) and my pup loves the dog biscuits I make from Friberg's book. I plan to come up with variations and any pet owner that I've passed the biscuits to is amazed at how their dogs go wild over them (heck, even some of the owners like 'em ).

So the next logical step is doggie biscuit baskets, but I don't know if the Department of Agriculture has regs on that sort of thing. I'm sure I need to call, but thought I'd stop here first.

Thanks.

[Suzanne]

Right now I'm consulting to a start-up pet food manufacturer. The very early, small test batches have been made in the office/kitchen of a nutritionist (not a home kitchen). The larger batches we've sent out for testing were made in a rental commercial kitchen. The company owners may have assumed without checking that none of this could be done in a home kitchen; I'm sure they're right. But we are in NYC, and I don't know what the rules may be where you are.

Have you checked with your local government agencies that regulate catering and food manufacturing? That's where I'd start if I were you -- then keep following the spiral road they'll send you on. Regulations on that sort of thing vary from city to city, county to county, state to state. So just start calling all the agencies you can think of that MIGHT be involved.

I suppose I'm setting you up for a lot of frustration this way , and I'm sorry. But eventually you WILL get to the right person who has the correct information -- so much better for you than working off our conjecture and then possibly getting in trouble.

[kthull]

Suzanne, that's pretty much what I figured, but thought it couldn't hurt to see if someone else had been down that road before.

Thanks.