Patricia Thornton

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]

Angelica, yes, they should be allowed.

Yes, you are absolutely reading that right in terms of your state’s requirements. You should check with your city or county though (probably the planning division)… they may have some requirements. For instance, you might have to get a standard business license, which is usually easy and inexpensive.

Erin, as you deduced, this would be classified as an indirect sale. I understand your desire to support the business, but the intention of the law is that the end-consumer would meet the producer. I’d imagine that this wouldn’t be the case with your gift boxes. Best of luck!

Kathleen, you’re right… it is strange that sales are allowed at farmers markets and not from home, and yet, a number of states have restrictions like this. Fortunately most allow sales from home too.

From what I’ve seen, it takes just one person to activate a cottage food law, or an amendment, in a state. Usually it involves finding a…[Read more]

Nicole, you are not required to get a license from the health department to sell your food, but it’s very reasonable for your farmers market to require a business license. It’s the same basic license any business of any type would get, and it’s usually pretty easy — you would apply with your city or county. It’s also relatively inexpensive……[Read more]