FDA to Crack Down on Home Soap Making

Discussion in 'Self Employment' started by Ken Anderson, May 1, 2015.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Bipartisanship is usually not a good thing.

     
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  2. Ina I. Wonder

    Ina I. Wonder Supreme Member
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    I know a lady that makes homemade soap and body lotions from goats milk. She has decided to only sell to a select few, because she ran into something of this sort. I love her products, and I buy them for my friends and family. When I went to visit Yvonne a month ago, I took her some gardenia and honeysuckle soap and body lotion. I think they are marvelous products.
    I think that the big distributers are just finding another way to cut the compitition.
     
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  3. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I absolutely LOVE the body lotion, Ina ! ! since Robin has not returned home from Afghanistan to decide which one she wants; I have been "testing" each of the lotions. They have the best fragrance of any lotions that I have ever used, and leave my face so soft and smooth.
    I emailed your friend to ask about other fragrances and prices for the lotions, and she has quite a few other varieties of face lotion and soap. She said she makes them from pure coconut oil, goats milk, and I think she also said olive oil. When I use mine up, I certainly intend to buy more from her.
    As for the rulings; they seem to do this kind of thing with many home-made products. I remember when they decided that farmers could not sell fresh raw milk. We had a farm where we always bought ours from, and they had to close down.
    A few weeks later, they had a new sign out, and it said "milk for pets", which was fine to sell,
     
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  4. Jenn Windey

    Jenn Windey Supreme Member
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    I buy artisan soaps and swear by them, I can hardly wait for this years Ren festival because thats where I get the soap from. I agree I think this is just big business trying to squeeze the little guy. Obviously they have been making an impact on market share. Does it make sense to put warning labels on every single thing in the world? Well as far as the soap goes the type I buy has the ingredients listed just the same as the soaps in the stores, so if I have allergies it is on me to check the ingredients. I think what sickens me about this is there are so many imitation products that you read about when they are recalled that have toxic chemicals in them. If I recall a few years ago it was Colgate toothpaste from the Dollar Store, one of the ingredients on the copy cat toothpaste was glycol, which is antifreeze for your car. Yet with all the sophistication that was missed anyway and sold to the public.

    I live on the edge of the farm zone and a thing in this area that is hotly debated is the limitations that the government or state of New York wants to place on these small farms. It is just crazy if you ask me. I have read reports where avid gardeners have been told they could not plant a garden. i do not remember as a child ever once being worried about the farms we bought our produce from. It seems the majority of the times you read about some listeria or salmonella it is from some major producer. I am certain the farm down the road does not have wild pigs that are defecating in the spinach, wild turkeys perhaps but not pigs. I really resent this movement to over regulate all the things that small artisans and farmers want to do. Just makes me so much more inclined to grow and can my own foods. As a kid we never batted a single eye when we saw a warm in our corn, and believe me my sister and I had no problem eating blueberries right from the bushes. these days with all the chem trails and stuff I would think twice and probably wash first.
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Food manufacturers do not have to warn us that the food we are ingesting has been genetically modified, yet we need government to regulate soap. Almost none of it has anything whatsoever to do with the health or welfare of the consumer. Nearly everything government does is the result of pandering to large corporations.
     
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  6. Hannah Davis

    Hannah Davis Veteran Member
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    This is ridiculous, why do we need to regulate soap making. I remember one year for Christmas a friend of mind gave me soaps that she had made herself. These soaps were better then come of those chemical things sold on the market. Is this the problem here, they want us to keep buying the junk on the market instead of buying it from those who use more natural ingredients. Oh sure lets regulate soap making but don't people rank on GMO's in foods.
     
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  7. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    People all around the nation are dropping like flies from using non-corporate soap.
     
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  8. Jennifer Graves

    Jennifer Graves Veteran Member
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    The dairy farmer's wife down the street just 2 days ago gave me some soap she made herself. If you wash with it it'll work as a bug repellant. I don't care who feels entitled to get more money for an inferior product. I'll continue to buy it from her. It's the best smelling bug repellant I have ever used.
     
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  9. Carlota Clemens

    Carlota Clemens Veteran Member
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    Whatever artisan product you can buy is good as long as you buy it from someone who is making it as a pastime or small home-business project.

    Produced in large scale is business and subject to federal and commercial concerns. It's much like blaming yourself for making your soap if you know how. I don't see anything wrong, except all kind of inventions to prevent people awakes from their consumerism dreams.
     
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  10. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    The significance of this is that, as they did for the family farm, they are making it very difficult for small businesses to remain afloat.

    Nearly every food-related incident that we read about is related either to factory farms or imported foods, yet they pass regulations that have to be adhered to largely by small farms, as the larger businesses are allowed to self-regulate through their various associations. What costs are associated on the industry as a whole can be borne by large factory farms, whereas they can mean an end to a family farm.

    Nothing has been heard about problems associated with soaps made as a hobby or as a small business, yet they feel that there is a need to regulate them out of business, no doubt because the popularity of homemade or handmade soaps is cutting into the profits of the corporate soap companies.
     
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  11. Jennifer Graves

    Jennifer Graves Veteran Member
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    I read an article today about the republicans voted to repeal the law that the meat sold does NOT have to have a label telling you what country it came from. If I understand, it just isn't fair for the countries (US) no one wants to get meat from. If they tell people the meat came from here, and no one buys it, I don't believe the solution should be not telling people anymore. Why not tell them they should make a superior product if they want to compete. There is always a certain product you don't want to buy from a certain place for a certain reason. I won't buy any dog food from China. Dog food from there has killed dogs. I'm not taking that chance. So, maybe they should stop telling us where our dog food comes... We wouldn't want China to lose business just because they killed a ton of family pets.
     
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  12. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I understand that is not even a U.S. law but a requirement of an international trade commission who felt that labeling the source of meat in the United States was unfair to Mexican and Canadian meat producers. Unfortunately, our last few administrations, both Democrat and Republican, have been all too willing to allow international commissions to regulate U.S. businesses and people.
     
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  13. Pat Baker

    Pat Baker Supreme Member
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    This is troubling information. It seems the government is working harder to help other countries than it is trying to protect the citizens of this country. What plans are on the drawing board to feed all of the people when all of the farms go out of business, has the government told us that yet, who is going to feed the US when we no longer have food since we are helping everyone else.
     
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  14. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    This reminds me of our recent trip to the province of Batanes. There was this coffee shop located in a house. Yes, it looks like unregistered. In fairness, the pastries they serve are excellent. I tasted their coffee and although I am not a coffee drinker, I appreciate the brewed coffee. And the owner offered her product - bottled swordfish in olive oil. It looked good so I bought 2 bottles.

    Last Saturday we sampled the first bottel and we liked it. While eating, my husband was checking on the label of the bottle. All he could see was the name of the brand as Imee's and at the bottom is the address. No other markings could be seen. Obviously, that bottled fish is homemade and did not pass stringent QA/QC. But in fairness, I would still buy again if I have the chance.
     
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  15. Jennifer Graves

    Jennifer Graves Veteran Member
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    Some of the best foods I've ever eaten were from vendors on the sidewalk. My favorite was genuine homemade tamales. An old woman was on the corner, selling them out of a basket. They were her own recipe, and after I finished mine, I really wanted to go get more. You won't find this in any restuarant or grocery store.
     
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