A London woman whose sourdough bread has gained a following in her neighbourhood is pushing the city to change rules that prohibit home-based food production.
Baking and selling food from a home kitchen is not allowed under current London rules
Victoria Hendry didn't start baking bread to make money, and she didn't expect it would eventually put her at odds with city rules.
"I'm a mom of three and making sourdough is something I find calming. My grandma baked a ton when I was growing up, so I really have a connection to her through baking," Hendry said.
Hendry began baking about two years ago. As she gave sourdough to friends and family, more people encouraged her to start selling it.
She began taking orders through Instagram and Facebook and her website, eventually setting up a pop-up shop on her Byron neighbourhood porch.
"I would make 10 or 12 different flavours and have them out front. I knew I was doing it kind of under the table, but I thought, since I'm not selling things with dairy or eggs or any of that, it is low risk and it was okay," she said.
But inspectors with the Middlesex-London Health Unit recently told Hendry to stop selling her bread because food production is not permitted as part of a home-based business under London's current rules.
"From a food-safety perspective, we want to talk to the owner and operator about what they need to do to comply with food premise regulations. We're trying to protect the public," said Andrew Powell, who oversees inspectors at the health unit.
Some Ontario municipalities allow certain low-risk food businesses to operate from home. Provincial rules allow compliant home kitchens to prepare low-risk foods such as breads and buns without meat or cream fillings, most baked goods without custard, as well as coffee, granola, muffins, cookies and brownies.
But London's rules do not currently allow those foods to be produced for sale from a home kitchen, and the City of London told CBC News there are no plans to update the bylaws.
In order to comply with the current rules, Hendry would have to build a separate commercial kitchen in her home, with a separate entrance and commercial sinks, or rent space in a commercial kitchen.
"I'm not trying to be a commercial kitchen. I'm not trying to have restaurant-level traffic. I'm just trying to make something simple for my community," Hendry said.
Hendry plans to meet with the mayor's office later this month to propose changes to the rules. She's also started a petition in support of allowing small-scale baking operations from home, sometimes referred to as cottage bakeries.
"I think it is honestly very attainable for London and something that will really boost the community spirit, boost the community ecosystem," she said.
"We want our money to go back into our community and everybody is rooting for Canada-made, but what about local-made? What about, 'My neighbour made this, it has simple ingredients, and it's delicious'?"
