David Crabill
@david
active 19 hours, 17 minutes agoForum Replies Created
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Ultimately it is up to the county to decide what the rules are, and it does differ between counties, but I’ve never heard of a county saying that. Are you sure they weren’t referring to prepackaged goods that you may be reselling? I guess I could see them making a case that you could list “Nestle’s chocolate chips” and that the consumer could find the needed info eventually, but I would still think they’d want the consumer to have the ingredient info available when they make their purchase.
Most people just talk to their insurance company about getting insurance for their business. Another option is the FLIP Program.
Here is a good video from Felicia Hill who setup the cottage food law in WA: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3710115150063&set=vb.212823708752853&type=2&theater
I think this would be allowed, but you might still want to confirm by calling the dept at 850-245-5520.
If your packages have different weights, then yes, you need to weigh each one. You can write the weight on the package by hand. I’ve also see sellers print out labels with the same weight on each of them, and then they add enough of the item to reach it (for instance, 3 oz of fudge). For cookies, if you use a portion scoop, the weight of each package should be pretty consistent.
1) Yes
2) Yes
3) No
4) You should contact your local planning division and see if there are any other requirements for your area. Otherwise, you’re good to go!
5) As long as your church is hosting a public event, then you should be able to sell at it. However, are you profiting or just selling there as a charitable donation to the church? If it’s not for your profit, then there is another exemption in the law that allows you to do that without getting any kind of approval from the government.I don’t think there is anything, other than that you should call your planning division to find out if there are any requirements for your specific area.
Jean, you cannot be the owner of both a commercial food business and a cottage food operation. It sounds like even though the items you are selling would fall under the cottage food law, you will need to get a commercial permit to sell those items, which should be much easier for you since you already have a commercial kitchen setup.
Brandon, my general advice is start small. Just try a few of your best products out at first and see where that goes. Aside from the info on the Mississippi page, did you have any specific concerns?
Teresa, I’d be happy to help. It is possible to rent commercial kitchens but first of all, what state do you live in?
I’m assuming you’re talking about people that are selling homemade goods and are not licensed. But even if the are licensed as a cottage food operation and are breaking the law, my advice would be the same.
In general, a good place to start is to talk to the person. Many people don’t know that it’s illegal to sell homemade food. Also by talking to them, you may learn their reasons for not getting licensed. It’s very common for people to run these illegal businesses, especially when they are only selling to family and friends and are just advertising through a Facebook page or something. When the individual moves on to sell at a farmers market or a similar venue, that’s where licensing becomes more important.
If the person is knowingly breaking the law, and especially if they are posing a health concern, you can contact your local health department to report them. Bear in mind that many health departments are so overloaded that they can’t even get around to regulating licensed facilities, so they may choose to turn a blind eye to the complaint if it’s not posing a health risk.
