NANCY ANGELO

Generally, PHFs need to be refrigerated and non-PHFs do not require refrigeration. California does not allow pickles as a cottage food, and would also not allow cut produce, unless it’s been baked or prepared in some way to make it shelf-stable. To sell your items, you need to setup a standard food business and make your items from a commercial kitchen.

Yes, that is correct. You would need to produce your items in a commercial kitchen. In some states, it is possible, but very expensive, to add a commercial kitchen to your home. Otherwise, you’d probably need to rent one.

Sorry, pasta isn’t allowed in Texas. Texas is very specific about what it allows.

No, pickled items are not allowed in Florida. Sorry!

Yes to all your items. Good luck!

You can call your planning division to find out if you are required to get a business license. It’s quite possible that you would be. If you are, you can use this website to learn about starting a small business.

I am not familiar with Arizona’s tax laws, but in general, many cottage food operations are exempt from sales tax, because the food…[Read more]

You should be fine with the herbs (although there may be some restrictions on certain medicinal herbs), and the oils might be fine too. You’d be best off to contact the department directly about those items: 850-245-5520

The definitions of these terms on the site could be more clear… sorry about that! In Ohio, basically any dry mix is going to work. If it doesn’t have any moisture content then it will be totally shelf stable and safe. “Crisps” means something like an apple crisp or some other baked fruit pastry.

No you do not, but many people recommend getting liability insurance to protect yourself. It just depends on how big your business is, who you’re selling to, and how comfortable you are that nobody would want to sue you. Generally, this kind of insurance costs between $200 – $400 per year, and one common option is the FLIP Program.

Oftentimes people use the cottage food laws as an easy way to get a food business started. Once you pass the limit, then you need to become a standard food business, which, aside from getting licenses and certain amounts of training, would require you to make everything in a commercial kitchen, instead of your home kitchen. The process can be…[Read more]

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.