Starting a business: Germany vs. USA

[Nixon]

I am hoping this is just an exaggeration.



Deine Oma vererbt Dir ihr Rezept für die beste Erdbeer-Marmelade auf der Welt.

In den USA kannst Du die in Deiner heimischen Küche einkochen und nach einer unbürokratischen Anmeldung als "Cottage Food Hersteller" auf dem Wochenmarkt verkaufen, ohne groß Hygienekonzepte oder Laboruntersuchungen nachweisen zu müssen. Du kannst den Erfolg risikominimierend testen. Bist Du erfolgreich gelten – zu recht – andere Regeln.

IN DEUTSCHLAND HINGEGEN VON ANFANG AN:

1. Gewerbeanmeldung
Musst Du ein Gewerbe anmelden, selbst wenn Du nur gelegentlich auf dem Wochenmarkt verkaufen möchtest.

2. Gesundheitsamt & Hygieneschulung
Du bist verpflichtet, eine Belehrung nach § 43 IfSG (Infektionsschutzgesetz) beim Gesundheitsamt zu absolvieren.

3. Hygienekonzept
Ein eigenes Hygienekonzept ist erforderlich. Dazu gehört z. B. die Dokumentation von Reinigungsvorgängen und Lagerung der Zutaten sowie das Einhalten der HACCP-Richtlinien (Gefahrenanalyse und kritische Kontrollpunkte).

4. Lebensmittelkennzeichnung
Muss Omas beste Marmelade ordnungsgemäß gekennzeichnet sein. Ist es tatsächlich eine Marmelade oder eine Konfitüre?

Das bedeutet:

Produktname
Zutatenliste (in absteigender Reihenfolge nach Menge)
Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum (MHD)
Gewicht oder Füllmenge
Name und Adresse des Herstellers
Losnummer, um die Charge nachvollziehen zu können

5. Laboruntersuchungen
Obwohl keine gesetzlich vorgeschriebenen Laboruntersuchungen für hausgemachte Marmelade verlangt werden, kann das Gesundheitsamt stichprobenartige Kontrollen durchführen. Es wird erwartet, dass Du bei der Herstellung stets einwandfreie Hygiene sicherstellst.

6. Verpackung
Die Gläser und Deckel müssen lebensmittelecht und sauber sein.

Und so zieht sich das durch alle Ideen. In den USA kannst Du in Deiner Garage die Zukunft der Menschheit bauen, in Deutschland bekommst Du eine Ordnungsstrafe wegen Zweckentfremdung.

Dieses Land hat fertig.
Translated from German by

Your grandmother leaves you her recipe for the best strawberry jam in the world.

In the USA, you can cook them in your own kitchen and, after registering as a "cottage food producer" without any red tape, sell them at the weekly market without having to prove any hygiene concepts or laboratory tests. You can test the success in a way that minimizes risk. If you are successful, different rules apply - and rightly so.

IN GERMANY, HOWEVER, FROM THE BEGINNING:

1. Business registration
Do you have to register a business, even if you only want to sell occasionally at the weekly market?

2. Health Department & Hygiene Training
You are obliged to complete a training course in accordance with Section 43 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) at the health authority.

3. Hygiene concept
A separate hygiene concept is required. This includes, for example, the documentation of cleaning processes and storage of ingredients as well as compliance with HACCP guidelines (hazard analysis and critical control points).

4. Food labeling
Does Grandma's best jam have to be properly labeled? Is it actually a jam or a preserve?

That means:

product name
Ingredients list (in descending order by quantity)
best-before date (BBD)
weight or filling quantity
Name and address of the manufacturer
lot number to track the batch

5. Laboratory tests
Although there are no legal laboratory tests required for homemade jam, the health department can carry out random checks. You are expected to always ensure impeccable hygiene during production.

6. Packaging
The jars and lids must be food safe and clean.

And that's the way it is with all ideas. In the USA you can build the future of humanity in your garage, in Germany you get a fine for misuse.

This country is finished.

[Franklan]

Your grandmother leaves you her recipe for the best strawberry jam in the world.

Imagine your eight-year-old daughter has a severe peanut allergy and it turns out that the “secret ingredient” in that "best strawberry jam in the world" is peanuts.

Your daughter dies, there is no list of ingredients on the jam jar and no manufacturer's address.

Tough shit, you will be a very proud father because you bought from this alternative “cottage food producer”... for the rest of your life.

[bethannbitt]

It’s false IMO. I have friends who produced items for the weekly market, both in Lawrence, KS and in Davis, CA. The rules were stiff and one could not do it in a non-approved kitchen (which generally couldn’t be set up at home). We had friends from Lebanon in Lawrence, KS who made humdinger hummus and other Middle Eastern delicacies. They had to get a permit from the county health department and all was above board, kitchen and products had to pass inspection, and renting a market stall was only possible with those approvals. They were industrious and made a go of it.

That being said, there’s generally more bureaucracy here and it’s easier to set up a business in Switzerland or the US. But President Musk is more than happy to help promote such exaggerated narratives. Think about why that is. And better yet, don’t buy into it.

[Nixon]

Well, at places like a village market people talk about stuff they buy, ask questions about the product, allergens, especially the well known.
This came to my attention due to a conversation couple of us had this weekend. Friend of mine made a great hot sauce and brought me a couple of jars. Of course, we started talking how good it would be if he could protect his recipe and start selling it. We didn’t know it would be this easy.
Yes, our phones were next to us