Emily Hicks

No, canned vegetables are not allowed.

1. Yes, if you are selling at an external location like a farmers market.
2. No
3. The label is what you attach to all your products, which gives the consumer info about you and the product.
4. You have to contact your city’s planning division to learn what the zoning requirements are for you.
5. Start simple and small, and work your way up from there.

You do not need to get registered… you just need to understand the rules and you can start immediately. I don’t know if there’s any way to “prove” that you are a cottage food operation, other than that you may need to get a business license from your county — at least that would show that you are a business.

No, I don’t think 4 days is long enough… I think that would fall under the category of a potentially hazardous food, and it would not be considered a cottage food. Maybe switching to evaporated milk would work, because generally cream-filled items are not allowed as cottage foods.

Michele, the product must change hands within Ohio. It is unlikely that you will be able to take advantage of any out-of-state sales.

For the law that goes into effect on November 1st, no, you do not need a food handlers class.

It looks like you’d be okay if your dogs did not have access to your kitchen. You may be able to do this by putting up a gate on the door or something. I don’t think it matters whether the items are potentially hazardous or not… either way, it could affect a customer if they are allergic to dogs.

Here are some links to online and in-person courses: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/foodestablishments/handler.shtm#training

You can take this one: http://texasfoodsafetytraining.com/product/5-food-handlers-card-english/
They offer another class for cottage food operators, but be aware that this is not required under the cottage food law. The basic class should be fine.

Marie, probably not. Ohio allows a lot of different types of food, but I believe Wisconsin is the only state that specifically allows applesauce. You should check with the Ag Department for the final word on this, but don’t hold your breath!

Diane, thanks for the heads up! I always like hearing from locals that have more accurate information. Could you be more specific about what is wrong with the Georgia page?

Sonja, one of the reasons cottage food laws were created was to help entrepreneurs test out their business idea without going through the whole process of becoming a commercial food processor.

You should know that cottage foods cannot be temperature controlled, and therefore prepared soup would not fall under the cottage food law. If you still…[Read more]

Nita, you are not required to get insurance, but many cottage food businesses do get some to protect themselves, just in case anything goes wrong. In Florida, you’re not allowed to do indirect sales like selling to a store so they can resell your products.

Annette, all of the info I know is on the Nevada page. Unfortunately, the government agencies haven’t put much info online yet. You should call the health department in your county and see if they know about the law yet. They are the ones that need to get you registered.

You need to be meeting the buyer, face-to-face, and transferring the product and money in-person. As long as you’re doing that, you’re good! So yes, you can take an order agreement by email as long as you meet them.

Mary Jane, maybe I can help clarify from what I think is happening. It’s actually all good!

HB 1094 has already passed and will go into effect in November, as you know. The other bill, SB 920, has not yet been passed, as far as I know. But the reason it’s also being considered is because it doesn’t have some of the limitations that HB 1094 does.…[Read more]