Boston, MA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Section 305B. The commissioner of public health, on his own initiative or at the request of a local board of health, may require any person working in an establishment engaged wholly or in part in the business of producing, manufacturing, processing, storing or offering or exposing for sale any article of food and whose duties actually involve the handling of food during such production, manufacture, processing, storing or offering or exposing for sale, to submit to thorough examination by the department of public health [...] to ascertain whether or not he is afflicted with any contagious, infectious or other disease or physical ailment which might render such employment detrimental to the public health, and whether or not, in the opinion of the department, he is a carrier, so called, of such a disease. [...] No owner, manager or person in charge of such an establishment shall knowingly require or permit any person who is found upon examination to be afflicted or to be a carrier as aforesaid, or who refuses to submit to such examination, if required so to submit, to continue to work therein in the performance of duties actually involving the handling of food as aforesaid. Whoever violates any provision of this section or of any rule or regulation made thereunder shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.