Joan Keeney

Angela, I haven’t heard of an update. My response to Aimee above is still as much as I know. If you talk to the ag dept and can post an update, that would be much appreciated!

It should be fairly simple to sell unopened and commercially-prepackaged items, as long as they do not need to be refrigerated, but you may need some sort of permit from the ag dept to do so. You should not need to use a commercial kitchen to do this.

Kelly, you can do everything you asked about. Just make sure that you collect payment from a customer in-person.

Taylor, you can find business in any way you want, including using Facebook in a variety of ways. You can sell cakes as long as you follow all of the rules for Florida’s cottage food law: http://forrager.com/law/florida/

Ed, as far as I know, you would need to use a commercial kitchen to do this. I know it seems impractical but it is the same process that other companies that produce fermented foods use.

Juan, I still haven’t heard about any changes in Miami Dade’s policy, but you should contact their health dept to ask if they allow CFOs now. It would be the same with the other counties you mentioned, but I will say that you must use the laws of whichever county your primary residence is in. You can’t just use any county’s law, unless you move there.

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

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

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