Put Down That Pie and Step Away From the Buffet

Jacob Sullum | February 14, 2005

Four years ago the Indiana legislature accidentally banned potluck dinners. The law, which requires "certified food handlers" for any meals served to the public, does not include exemptions for churches, fraternal organizations, and other nonprofit groups that invite members to bring meatloaf, macaroni salad, and pie to communal events. The Indianapolis Star reports that "word on the new law generally hasn't spread to the church halls across Indiana, so many Hoosiers could be committing an illegal act today when they pass the whipped Jell-O. 'Technically, yes,' said Scott Gilliam, director of the food protection program for the Indiana State Department of Health." Four bills have been introduced to correct the oversight.

[Thanks to Nicolas Martin for the link.]