Connecticut Residential Farm Can you legally sell food from home in Connecticut?
Cottage Food Law
Connecticut’s Residential Farm law is an old law that is restricted to farmers who make certain types of canned goods on their farm. If you are not a farmer, you cannot use this law, but you can use Connecticut’s cottage food law. It appears that a farmer can use both this law and the cottage food law.
Farmers can sell jams, jellies, acidified foods (like pickles, salsas, and sauces), and other types of preserves, without needing to get their farm’s kitchen inspected. The fruits and vegetables used in products need to be grown on their farm, and sales can only be made from their farm or at certified farmers markets. Although this law is very restricted in most ways, there is no sales limit. Farmers who make acidified foods need to adhere to some other requirements, like taking food safety training and getting their products tested.
Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?
Products may only be sold from your residential farm or at certified farmers markets (allowed in Section 22-6r(7)(b)). “Residential farm” means a farm (as defined in Section 1-1(q)) that is serving as your primary residence.
To sell other venues, you can use the cottage food law.
Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?
The fruits and vegetables used in your products must be grown on your farm. All products must have a pH value of 4.6 or less.
Acidified foods (like pickles, salsas, and hot sauce) must be tested in a laboratory and approved before they can be sold. Acidified foods are defined in Section 21a-24a(1).
“Other Preserves” means fruit or vegetables preserved whole by cooking with sugar.
To sell other types of homemade food, you can use the cottage food law.
Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?
Children and pets must be kept out of the kitchen while you are making acidified foods. Although there are no restrictions when you are making other types of products, keep in mind that some of your customers may have pet allergies.
Business What do you need to do to sell food from home?
Before you can sell acidified foods, you need to take an approved food safety course, which can either be a Qualified Food Operator class or a Better Process Control School course. If you do not want to sell acidified foods, you do not need to take food safety training.
Call the Food Protection Program at 860-509-7297 to learn about Qualified Food Operator classes; it’s possible that a basic $15 ServSafe food handler course would suffice. Taking a BPCS course would likely be much more lengthy and costly, but it can be a good idea, especially if you are making canned goods that have a higher risk of botulism.
Acidified foods (like pickles, salsas, and hot sauce) must be tested in a laboratory and approved before they can be sold.
If you produce acidified foods and your water comes from a private water source, like a private well, you must have it tested to ensure that it’s safe.
These business requirements only apply if you are selling acidified foods.
Labeling How do you label cottage food products?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
"Not prepared in a government inspected kitchen" (10-point type)
Forrager Cookie Company
123 Chewy Way, Cookietown, CT 73531
Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, natural flavors), brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract (vanilla bean extract, alcohol, sugar), baking soda, salt (salt, calcium silicate)
NET WT 2 lb 4 oz (1.02 kg)
Resources Where can you find more information about this law?
- Department
- Department of Consumer Protection
- food.standards@ct.gov
- Telephone
- 860-713-6160
Laura Johnson
ROBERT PATRICK
Emily