Brandie

You probably do need to get a business license, but you need to call your county to confirm. There are a few things you may need to check before starting your business: http://forrager.com/faq/#starting

Mobile food trucks have different rules… you should call the health dept about how to start your food truck business.

Have you spoken with the ag or health dept about your business plans? They might be able to point you in the direction of kitchens you could use.

You cannot do that using the cottage food law. If you are only selling commercially-prepackaged cookies and drinks, then there may be a special permit for that. Otherwise, you would need to use a commercial kitchen to run this business. You should contact your health dept for more specific info. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

I don’t think so. That would clash with zoning laws, which are meant to prevent people from running businesses in neighborhoods. Selling food at your home only works if people pick it up and consume it off the premises. But just to be clear, I’m not actually knowledgeable about how “you-pick-it” programs work… I am just assuming that they need…[Read more]

Yes, you need to use only your home kitchen.

First of all, since this is happening in a church, the cottage food laws aren’t applicable.

Honestly, I’m not sure what the rules are for a church. I know that many large churches are regularly inspected by the health dept. I don’t think you can serve hot food without some type of permit, and you should talk to the health dept for more info.

Sorry, I don’t know either. I would think that it would be allowed, but I can’t verify that. You will need to call your health dept for the answer.

Usually there are no ag dept licenses for selling your own produce, but when it comes to selling others’ produce, I simply don’t know. You should call your ag dept for more info.

Actually, the law does specify that a local health dept can’t regulate you, so they are not allowed to conduct an inspection without a customer complaint. They also shouldn’t be able to prevent you from advertising on Facebook, though the law does prohibit you from selling online.

There is some strange wording in the law about exempt areas in the…[Read more]

Making a nonperishable item, like a baked good, should be allowed under an exemption, but making hotdogs is probably not allowed. You don’t have to worry about the cottage food law, since this is for a nonprofit, but you should still call your ag dept to determine what is allowed under the exemption for donated food. http://forrager.com/faq/#nonprofit

From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to be at your home, and pickup only. For what it’s worth, many many CFOs run businesses from their homes across the country, and I’ve never heard of there being a problem. Custom cake makers, especially, have to do things from home because they can’t sell at places like farmers markets. Usually, although the…[Read more]

As long as your products contain at least 75% of your own honey, you can directly sell your honey from your home, at farmers markets, farm auctions, or government festivals within Ohio. All sales must be made in-person, and no license from the ag dept is needed. For fewer restrictions, you should contact the ag dept about becoming licensed as a…[Read more]

Since this is beyond the scope of the cottage food laws, I’m simply not familiar with the rules for this. You should contact your health dept for more info.

It would only work as a commercial kitchen if it’s consistently inspected by the health dept. However, as a CFO, you are not allowed to use a commercial kitchen (or any kitchen other than your home kitchen) for your business.

I think it depends on the county, but your business license will probably be adequate for selling in most other counties (not sure). However, if you sell wholesale outside of your county, the other counties you sell in need to have an agreement with yours. You need to make sure the health depts have spoken with each other and agreed to allow…[Read more]

If it’s not baked, you can’t use a home kitchen. You will need to use a commercial kitchen to start your business. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Sorry, I don’t know about LA. You just need to call the env health dept and ask them.