Entering the murky world of EU regulations

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And here (again in German – sorry guys) is the process of making soap legal. You can see how that kitchen looks – nothing fancy, but it must be done. And don’t look at the prices for assessment, now is over 4 times more :crazy:
lissi.novemberkids.de/index.php/projekt/
 
Looks good (leider Deutsch ist nur eine Fremdsprache)

My cellar has cold running water, but over the hall is a room with hot water, too. Annoying.

"leider Deutsch ist nur eine Fremdsprache" Yea, mine too! And I’m really sorry for that German stuff, but that’s all I could find, and I need, as I will work with offices and rules in Germany. Maybe Saponista will come up with something in English texts, but again it will be rules only for UK than... Is hard to find any info about such things!

In my kitchen is also only cold water, but luckily we have a plumber as a good friend, and he will work on that issue :) You can buy an electric water boiler, to have pro forma is ok I think, only to have in a case of control – but first u must be sure what the regulations in your area are and if you really need it!
 
That's for hygiene reasons I think, so you can wash your hands before preparing things. I imagine the regulations cover a wide range of handmade cosmetics and face creams, lotions etc. all need to be made in a sterile environment.
 
But then they know nothing of making soap - I might have pee all over my hands (I don't!) but there is no way on this earth that my hands are going in to raw soap batter. Even with lotions and so on, they are heated to kill the germs and then a preservative is added in.

It seems like one of those things that someone in a committee meeting puts in because it sort of makes sense - clean hands for making something like a face cream - with out thinking if it is actually handled in that way.
 
Exactly, that committee have made some wide all encompassing rules that make doing anything impossible without considering that things should be different for each type of product made.
 
And people in Canada complain because we have to register all our recipes with Health Canada for free. Whatever, I am glad we aren't as regulated as you are in the EU....
 
And people in Canada complain because we have to register all our recipes with Health Canada for free. Whatever, I am glad we aren't as regulated as you are in the EU....
Lindy, I’m so jealous that is so much easier for you guys than over here… You can have 10 different soaps in you little store, your imagination set limits, here 10 recipes is a serious investment of some thousands Euros :\
 
Would you believe with how easy it is to comply here there are a lot of soapmakers that don't bother? It's why we started the association, to try and raise the standards a bit and be seen as a professional craft rather than just a hobby craft.
 
Aaaaaaaa, Lindy, now I know how you r familiar with Scott from Guild of Craft Soap & Toiletry Makers! He is amazing, and that’s very good idea to provide such "service" or membership for serious soapers! I couldn’t agree more!
How far are you with the project if I may ask?
 
Hi Twiggy - yeah I'm on Fresholi so know a lot of EU soapmakers.

The Association is up and running and we have vendors offering discounts to members too, so although we're still really small, it is coming along.
 
Hi Twiggy - yeah I'm on Fresholi so know a lot of EU soapmakers.

The Association is up and running and we have vendors offering discounts to members too, so although we're still really small, it is coming along.

SUPERB! O well the long journey must start from small, first step! You will get more recognizable with the time. And cooperation with vendors is brilliant idea! What can I say – GOOD LUCK!!
 
True - again, I would seriously question why hot water is needed, but as a question that will just bounce off of an EU beaurocrat like a rubber ball off of a mountain!

Count yourselves lucky, Americans! Land of the free, indeed.

Ha!! Depending on where you are in the US, it seems. I can't even get into what is required of a soap maker here in the states, or even my state, because unless I can afford to rent somewhere to make soap, I can't own a business from home. Well, I can, but I need permission from the landlord and then if I can get that I have to follow these rules for my city (this is to run ANY home based business in any area zoned residential) which include not keeping any equipment on the property and "There shall be no on-site sales to the general public or products or merchandise.
"

I called to clarify, and they will not allow you to keep any product on site either. So I have to pay to have it stored somewhere else. They call it your "Commissary" and you have to get paperwork from another business saying they have agreed to rent you space and the city can come and inspect the area at any time. Your equipment must also be kept there. Oy!!!
 
Miranda, I hear you here! My God! So not only Europa is going crazy about it :) To be honest, I would love to have UK regulations for assessment and business :)
 
This was a big compromise on the city's part. Before allowing a Commissary, you just could not have a home based business at all. But with the invention of the internet, the people threw a fit about wanting to have websites where they could sell things from home, so they come up with this mess.

There are loopholes to everything. As long as the products are not finished and packaged for sale, they can be at your home (provided that no one driving by can tell there is a business in your home at all. You cannot store ANYTHING outside or do anything outside, so I can't store my dirty equipment outside like I have been). What you have to do is keep your equipment and supplies at your Commissary. When you want to soap, you go get your stuff and bring it home and soap to your hearts content and then take all of your stuff back to your commissary. As long as the soap is still curing, it is not technically finished and I can keep it at home. Once it is packaged for sale, it must be at the Commissary. So theoretically, I could just leave the soaps on the drying rack until they sell online and then just package them up and send them out. No on-site sale, just internet or deliveries to people's homes. If I were to do a show, I would have to be able to package it and take it to the Commissary and be able to get into the space I am renting to pick everything up for a show and take it and then drop the leftovers back off before I go home...or unwrap it all and put it back on the drying rack (not going to happen). Your Commissary can be a storage unit, but it would have to be temperature controlled. A storage unit would get me around having to be able to get in at 3 am to take them to shows where you have to set up early.

In addition, you cannot increase traffic, by road or foot traffic. You cannot have USPS, UPS or FedEX show up at your house more than once per day each to pick up deliveries and you cannot, under any circumstances, allow anyone to soap who is not immediate family, living in the residence.

Again, this is for ANY business in my town that is run out of the home. I haven't even gotten into requirements for soaping, itself. This is why I didn't even want to look. But I am glad I am checking it out. Seems if I started now, I might be ready when I am ready to sell, which is a long way off.
 

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