On the cost efficiency of food projects (mostly restaurateur) there is this article that sums it up well:
The problem with the shared kitchen spaces are the many restrictions and complicated logistical problems they create.
Dry and wet food / meat and no meat / dairy / nut allergies / … all those things are difficult to set up in the same space due to the food regulations. There is some logical truth in it, but there is also a frightening urge to control everything that is simply absurd
Yes on food industry level it can be dangerous to not controle, because a badge of production maybe feeds 10.000 house holds at a time. But if we want to support a world where 1000 of little food entrepreneurs all have their own little market of a couple of hundred people for wich they produce food. we need to rethink the legislation.
Shared infrastructure can only become a thing if we rethink how we controle food.
There is a type of label in Canada that makes it possible to start home-made production, and legally viable. This “home-made” label counts for people making max X number of a product, and they need to put it that it follows only the common sense of production.
I like this label because it makes it possible to test out a market, see if your product is viable and you can create a crowd without having to invest in a solid kitchen, …
I’m pushing my space to become a safe spot for this kind of behaviour in the future. I know i could get in problem from AFSCAA, but i don’t care anymore. I want to give the possibility to starting food entrepreneurs in fermentation to produce their first couple of batches, once they want to become pro, they can move to better equiped facilities.