Tracy Mason
David replied to the topic missouri prohibited food of chocolate in the forum Missouri 9 years, 7 months ago
Ganache is often not allowed, so you should contact your health dept to check.
David replied to the topic is it legal? in the forum Florida 9 years, 7 months ago
No, you can’t sell via an office or other type of business / store front. You can only sell your products at your home, a farmers market, a roadside stand, or at certain types of events. You can also deliver your products to a customer.
David replied to the topic Dehydrated Foods in the forum Arizona 9 years, 7 months ago
Arizona’s law only allows baked goods and candy, but even if you dried produce in an oven, I don’t think they’d be allowed under the law. You probably need to use a commercial kitchen, but you should check with the health dept.
David replied to the topic CFO kitchen in the forum California 9 years, 7 months ago
As far as I know, you can only use your residential home kitchen. The kitchen needs to be in your home, and I think that’s the primary requirement. If your external kitchen is on your property, but separate from your home, then I don’t think you can use the cottage food law. If the kitchen is in your basement, it may be possible.
Although a…[Read more]
David replied to the topic Want to sell Indian Homemade food in Rhode Island in the forum Rhode Island 9 years, 7 months ago
You cannot sell homemade Indian food in Rhode Island. You will need to use a commercial kitchen, and you should call the health dept about the licensing you will need. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial
David replied to the topic Business License? in the forum Virginia 9 years, 7 months ago
You probably do need to get a business license, but you need to call your county to confirm. There are a few things you may need to check before starting your business: http://forrager.com/faq/#starting
David replied to the topic Food Truck from cottage permit in the forum Georgia 9 years, 7 months ago
Mobile food trucks have different rules… you should call the health dept about how to start your food truck business.
David replied to the topic Shared Kitchen Space in the forum Virginia 9 years, 7 months ago
Have you spoken with the ag or health dept about your business plans? They might be able to point you in the direction of kitchens you could use.
David replied to the topic Cookies and Soft Drinks in the forum Indiana 9 years, 7 months ago
You cannot do that using the cottage food law. If you are only selling commercially-prepackaged cookies and drinks, then there may be a special permit for that. Otherwise, you would need to use a commercial kitchen to run this business. You should contact your health dept for more specific info. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial
David replied to the topic Selling fruit items in the forum California 9 years, 7 months ago
I don’t think so. That would clash with zoning laws, which are meant to prevent people from running businesses in neighborhoods. Selling food at your home only works if people pick it up and consume it off the premises. But just to be clear, I’m not actually knowledgeable about how “you-pick-it” programs work… I am just assuming that they need…[Read more]
David replied to the topic is it legal? in the forum Florida 9 years, 7 months ago
Yes, you need to use only your home kitchen.
David replied to the topic Cooking in My Church in the forum California 9 years, 7 months ago
First of all, since this is happening in a church, the cottage food laws aren’t applicable.
Honestly, I’m not sure what the rules are for a church. I know that many large churches are regularly inspected by the health dept. I don’t think you can serve hot food without some type of permit, and you should talk to the health dept for more info.
David replied to the topic Selling Popcorn under cottage food laws in the forum Maryland 9 years, 7 months ago
Sorry, I don’t know either. I would think that it would be allowed, but I can’t verify that. You will need to call your health dept for the answer.
David replied to the topic Produce wholesaler in the forum New Jersey 9 years, 7 months ago
Usually there are no ag dept licenses for selling your own produce, but when it comes to selling others’ produce, I simply don’t know. You should call your ag dept for more info.
David Crabill wrote a new post, Book Review: Homemade For Sale 9 years, 7 months ago
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John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist know the difference between Corporate America and a homemade business. Although they […]
David replied to the topic Camden Cty is forcing inspection in the forum Missouri 9 years, 7 months ago
Actually, the law does specify that a local health dept can’t regulate you, so they are not allowed to conduct an inspection without a customer complaint. They also shouldn’t be able to prevent you from advertising on Facebook, though the law does prohibit you from selling online.
There is some strange wording in the law about exempt areas in the…[Read more]
David replied to the topic selling hotdogs at fundraiser in the forum Tennessee 9 years, 7 months ago
Making a nonperishable item, like a baked good, should be allowed under an exemption, but making hotdogs is probably not allowed. You don’t have to worry about the cottage food law, since this is for a nonprofit, but you should still call your ag dept to determine what is allowed under the exemption for donated food. http://forrager.com/faq/#nonprofit
David replied to the topic Where can you sell? in the forum Oklahoma 9 years, 7 months ago
From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to be at your home, and pickup only. For what it’s worth, many many CFOs run businesses from their homes across the country, and I’ve never heard of there being a problem. Custom cake makers, especially, have to do things from home because they can’t sell at places like farmers markets. Usually, although the…[Read more]
David replied to the topic Sell Honey in the forum Ohio 9 years, 7 months ago
As long as your products contain at least 75% of your own honey, you can directly sell your honey from your home, at farmers markets, farm auctions, or government festivals within Ohio. All sales must be made in-person, and no license from the ag dept is needed. For fewer restrictions, you should contact the ag dept about becoming licensed as a…[Read more]
David replied to the topic Want to sell fruit butters and honey on internet to USA possibly internationally in the forum Ohio 9 years, 7 months ago
Since this is beyond the scope of the cottage food laws, I’m simply not familiar with the rules for this. You should contact your health dept for more info.
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Thanks for the kind words! I do just want to throw out a word of caution for Illinois, in case you’re concerned about being legal. I believe there are only a couple counties in Illinois that allow sales of homemade food outside of farmers markets, so you might want to check on that.