The Tennessee Food Freedom Act allows certain shelf-stable products, including eggs and prepared chicken, to be sold directly to consumers by operators of small farms. (Photo: Getty Images)

No one understands the partnership between the earth and its people better than those who steward the land. But for generations, farmers in the Volunteer State could not make direct sales to the public of temperature-controlled foods or canned goods.

That changed in 2022 when state lawmakers passed the Tennessee Food Freedom Act. The bill allowed farmers and other cottage-food producers to sell certain homemade, nonperishable foods, including baked goods and jams, with no need for inspection or licensing.

Recently, the Tennessee House of Representatives expanded Tennessee’s cottage-food laws with the

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