Tara Stein

Neither of those are allowed under the cottage food law. There may be another exemption for selling eggs (check with the ag dept), but I’m pretty sure you need a special license to sell unpasteurized milk (if it’s possible).

I believe you need a commercial license. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You don’t need a license from the health or ag depts, but your county still might require other licenses/permits, like a business license. And even if they don’t, the farmers market itself may require certain permits. Farmers markets also have the ability to turn you away because you’re homebased, even though you’re a legal business. So it could…[Read more]

No, it wasn’t passed and there is still no cottage food law in New Jersey.

You need a commercial license, which will free you from almost all of the limitations you’re concerned about: http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You do need to talk to your health dept and I think Etsy is a good place to start online. However, local sales are usually an easier starting point for getting a food business off the ground.

Aimee, I’m not entirely sure. This seems to fall into a gray area, because it’s neither an indirect sale nor a direct sale, really. My guess, which could be wrong, is that this would not be allowed because you are not selling to the end consumer. I’d recommend you call the state ag dept for official clarification.

Hello! I’am starting my new cottage food business in Seminole County, Florida. I will be baking Bundt Cakes, cupcakes and muffins… Recently a lawyer office ask me if I can sell them a certain amount of muffins weekly so they can give them away as a gift for their clients. Can I do that?

From what I’ve heard, Miami doesn’t allow any types of homemade food to be sold. Miami-Dade County has banned the cottage food law. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Yes, you must follow all of the requirements on this page, which includes getting registered with the ag dept. How long you run your business for is insignificant. You do not need to get your kitchen inspected, but I’m not sure what other local requirements you will have to follow. http://forrager.com/faq/#starting

The limit isn’t actively regulated, but a health or ag dept could shut down an operation if it was clear that they were making too much. I’d say it’s more self-regulated, in that people know if they make more than $15K then they’re doing something illegal. That limitation is baked right into Florida’s law, so an amendment to the law would need to…[Read more]

Bake sales like this may be possible, but it’s up to your health dept to draw the lines for what’s allowed.