My vigilant stake out of Rob White's office hours inquiring on if Etsy will require their edible sellers to comply with local and federal laws over the last month and more has ended. After pestering the poor man relentlessly, with more or less a stand off that would evoke jealously amongst Branch Davidians, I was informed as of 07/18/08, that no, Etsy will not enforce such a rule as vaguely stated in the
Terms of Service, of which in recent discussions, I have and will continue to refer to as Etsy Corp's "cover-our-assisms".
I pleaded my case, stating that as a CFH, there are things about food prep, storage, heating and reheating that the average Bonnie Homebaker would not know of unless one was to take a food safety class ie: vital knowledge that could prevent illness and such. The majority of the fifty United States have rules and regulations set forth as to how food must be prepared and under what conditions for a reason. And for the few states that don't there are blanket rules set forth by the FDA. Frankly, because once upon a time, someone selling Grandma's prize winning Red Velvet cake fucked up and someone became ill. I pointed out that while Etsy's "vision" is, or at least at some point was, for all sellers to be able to make a handmade living sellng their goods in Etsyland. I asked for clarity on how this is to be kept as a reality, when (as egocentric of a situation as this may be) sellers of edibles are no longer able to afford their business insurance due to the continued rise of reported food bourne illnesses because of those who choose not to follow the laws and place making a few bucks in a higher value than someones health and well being. I personally pitched a cost effective, easy to impliment way for sellers to be required to show proof on their edibles listings that their items were compliant to local or federal regulations.
Good points were brought up in this healthy, yet unhealthy discussion. Some pointed out that maybe these food sellers do not know that they are required to follow the laws. To which was retorted that it is up to us to know how to run our businesses, not Etsy to give us a heads up on what we need to be accountable for when we open up shop. And in the event that a buyer was to become sick or even die to due their negligence, ignorance doesnt hold up as reason not to be sued, or not to be held accountable for injury or death.
Others chimed in with their $0.20 stating that baked good are considered "low risk" foods for contacting food bourne illnesses to which it was pointed out that they are only considered to be low risk when the tasty tidbit is prepared properly.
Despite the case built, in the end, the response from Mr. White was, in not so many words, is that, no Etsy will not require anything from food sellers at the moment in the way of providing proof of proper food prep and if Etsy should ever make a change to it, it will be addressed publically. So in the end my friends, Etsy, like their unlicensed, non compliant food sellers, chooses to turn a blind eye to the safety of their consumers, once again, to make a fast buck.
