vidhun

Hi Susan, here’s the tutorial: https://forrager.com/learn/website/

It’s a gray area to be sure. All we know for sure is that FL, AR, and OK allow interstate shipping. So shipping between those states should be allowed.

In general, I think an LLC is overkill for most cottage food businesses. You can read more here: https://forrager.com/faq/#llc

Jonathan, you can sell perishable baked goods at farmers markets by producing them in a commercial kitchen and getting a different license from the health department.

There is no legal way to sell them from home, or to sell homemade perishable baked goods, except for building a commercial kitchen on your property (which is very complex and costly…[Read more]

Nunuz, I think it’s important to know that most of this kind of info can’t be found online. You need to contact your health dept, the planning division, etc and wait for them to get back to you. It usually takes quite a bit of patience.

However, generally speaking, in addition to the CFO permit you will likely need a business license, and yes…[Read more]

As Keith referenced, Florida updated its cottage food law in 2021, and now localities (like Miami Dade) can’t prohibit cottage food businesses.

When processed correctly, hot sauce is perfectly safe. But if best canning practices are not followed, canned goods could potentially be deadly. That’s why homemade acid and acidified foods like hot sauce are not allowed in many states, although the risk is quite low.
Instead, the ag/health dept will require you to use a commercial kitchen and go…[Read more]

Yes definitely! All non-perishable candies and confections are allowed in Arkansas.

Here is some info about that: https://forrager.com/faq/#repackaging
Basically, yes you can do this with unwrapped candy. You mentioned “variety”… the variety resulting from combining candies should be enough of a change for you to not worry about copyright. And I’d also consider how branded the product is in the first place. If it’s a generic…[Read more]

Putting cake mix on the label is definitely not sufficient. You need to copy the ingredients from the box to put on your label.

Tennessee is one of the only states that doesn’t seem to require things to be individually packaged. But I do think they’d prefer individual packaging where that’s reasonable or expected. A bulk container situation would…[Read more]

You can sell fresh, uncut produce without needing any permit. The only restriction, to my knowledge, are sprouts… those are regulated. You could sell under your LLC but you likely don’t have to.

I can’t say that I’ve researched it, but I suspect that many of those laws (I live in CA, so I’ve seen the effects of some of them) would only apply to producers of a certain size.

On top of that, I find that many cottage food producers choose to use the environmentally-friendly packaging regardless, to give their products a higher perceived…[Read more]

Running a bake sale for a charitable cause falls under different rules, but in this case it sounds like the funds would be for your family’s use (not donated to a nonprofit).

So in that case, if we want to get really technical, the answer is yes, in CA you’d need a permit to legally sell baked goods, and zoning laws might prevent you from selling…[Read more]

In most states, that would not be allowed since cut potatoes are perishable foods, whether raw or cooked.

However, in your state of Illinois, this is allowed! The main caveat is that you cannot ship them… you can only sell them directly to customers. I suggest reading through the notes in Illinois’ food section to better understand what is and…[Read more]

Yes they are allowed. And you would copy the entire ingredient list from the Skittles bag.

I see now. Have you contacted the ag dept to verify that they do, in fact, permit home food processing establishments? The law is there in theory, but I still have yet to see one implemented. I know a number of counties don’t allow them at all.

So if they will allow one with zoning approval, then I think it’s just a matter of education for the…[Read more]

Who is requesting that you get a zoning variance? Is it your city/county to approve a general business license? Or is it your HOA? Considering the nature of the lots in your HOA and your plan to be delivery only, I would be surprised if the HOA board disallowed your business, even if there’s something in the CCRs saying you can’t run a home…[Read more]

Shereena, here’s the link to the website tutorial: https://forrager.com/learn/website/

Yes, you can sell popcorn, nuts, candy, and most nonperishable snack foods.

However, you can only produce from your primary residence. I believe the health dept would determine that a motel room’s kitchen — even one that you use for the majority of the year — would not qualify for cottage food production.

I’m not sure if the health dept has taken an official stance on that. I could see it going either way… either they allow it because it’s nonperishable, or they don’t because it’s alcohol-based. If you learn more after contacting them, I’d love to know the answer!