Sanchez

Correct, you cannot sell online as a CFO. To sell online, you need to go the commercial route. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Vanessa, the food safety certificate that Sonia was referring to is probably a food manager certificate. However, CFOs in Florida aren’t required to get food safety training. If you’d like basic training, you can look up a food handler training course.

You don’t need a license from the ag dept, but you may need other licenses to start your business. You will have to check with local officials for the process of starting a business in your area. http://forrager.com/faq/#starting

Here’s the link: http://www.statefoodsafety.com/Cps?productType=Food+Handler

Since La Plata County isn’t listed under Colorado, my guess is that you can take the general one for the “State of Colorado”, though you should confirm with your health dept.

Samantha, you may need licensing and you need to reach out to your county. You probably don’t need insurance unless a sales venue requires it.
http://forrager.com/faq/#starting
http://forrager.com/faq/#insurance

Yes, fondant should be allowed.

In Florida, cottage foods cannot require refrigeration, so ice creams aren’t allowed (even non-dairy ones). I also would not expect the ag dept to allow non-dairy creamers. In both cases, the water activity level (aW) of the product would be high and probably potentially hazardous (cottage foods are non-PHFs).

The USDA says that you can still use the word to identify “organic sugar” or other organic products on your ingredients list only, as long as you do the following:

Prevent commingling with non-organic products and contact with prohibited substances.
Meet the USDA organic labeling requirements.
Maintain records for at least three years that…[Read more]

That label wouldn’t be legal. You might be able to use the word “organic” in your ingredients list, if you meet certain requirements. Here’s an overview about organic labeling: http://forrager.com/faq/#organic

Yes, you would need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You cannot do that type of business from home. Instead, you need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Geani, probably the best thing would be to create two labels for the different types of cupcakes. If you are selling a package that contains both kinds, then I think it’s okay for you to merge them into one label, but not as useful for the consumer. From what I’ve seen in the grocery store, usually the ingredient lists are separated when a package…[Read more]