Tracy Mason

Yes, you can sell thoroughly-baked items that contain fruit, like your cake, strawberry pies, or banana bread. You cannot sell cut fresh fruit.

Iowa doesn’t use the term “cottage food” in their law, though they do allow some types of homemade food to be directly sold. All of the information is based on the resources in the Resources section.

No — you would have to get a commercial license. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You need to use a commercial kitchen to produce and sell chicken salad. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Thanks Jeremy, that’s really good to know, and it’s nice that Colorado’s chosen that interpretation. I feel like I called them a few years ago about this and got a different answer. It’s always good to double check!

Texas is very specific about what’s allowed and since syrups are not on the list, I don’t think they’re allowed.

The purpose of the home address is so health officials can find where a product was made if there is a complaint. This is a common practice across the nation, and I’ve never heard of anyone who had an issue with it (though many have…[Read more]

No — the food must not require refrigeration. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

The law says that only direct sales are allowed, which I take to mean that the producer needs to hand the product to the consumer. It may be okay for a family member to deliver the product, but maybe not. The upcoming amendment specifies that an LLC can have no more than two owners, and in that case, I would think that either owner could deliver…[Read more]

First of all, I think it’s unlikely that savory jams would be allowed under this law. The types of canned goods you can produce must have an appropriate combination of sweet and/or acidic. I don’t think there’s an instance where your jams or jellies could include vegetables. This resource should help explain what’s allowed.

To learn more about…[Read more]

I believe that your zoning manager can prevent your home business, but in this case, it sounds like he may just be unfamiliar with the law. I’d recommend you call the state ag dept and try to connect the person there with your zoning manager, so he can understand that these home businesses are legal, and even common.

The ag dept is responsible for enforcing the cottage food law, so if they don’t know, then I sure don’t. You basically need to find out if they will allow you to make food with alcohol in it, and if so, do you need to get an alcohol license? You can also try contacting the Alcohol Division to see if they know.

Yes, you can advertise any way you want, but you can’t sell online.

The ag or health dept doesn’t issue CFO certificates. The only definite requirement that I’m aware of is the sales tax certificate: http://forrager.com/law/louisiana/

There may also be some other local requirements before you can start: http://forrager.com/faq/#starting