Farmers’ Market Season is here! Lots of markets are opening this week and especially this weekend. I do hope that you will check out the markets in your area and support your local producers. And if you have ever considered selling agricultural products yourself, here are some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I receive.
Can I make food in my home to sell? In Ohio we have Cottage Food Law that allows individuals to make food in their own home. There is a specific list of the foods that can be made including lots of baked goods (cookies, cakes and pies); jams and jellies; and dried mixes. These foods all have minimal risk of causing foodborne illness and do not require any temperature controls to keep them safe for us to eat. There is no inspection of the home kitchen and no fee required. The foods must be properly labeled and have the declarations “This food is home produced.”
It is also possibly though to make cream pies that require refrigeration or other baked foods that are potentially hazardous like cheesecakes or noodles or fry pies. These require a home bakery license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). This is only $10 per year and requires an inspection. You can learn more about these under “Fact Sheets” at ODA Food Safety .
Can I sell salsa or sauces that I can in my home? Since these are processed foods that could be potentially hazardous, they cannot be made in the home and sold. You can make these types of foods in an approved kitchen. This can be any facility outside of your home that has been approved by ODA including another structure on your property, an ODA registered church kitchen, or a shared use facility that co-packs foods.
What are the rules for selling eggs from my farm? In Ohio we can sell eggs from our farms without an inspection or license as long as we maintain 500 or fewer birds. You can find more information from ODA at ODA Egg Producer Fact Sheet
What are the rules to sell eggs somewhere other than my farm? If you want to sell eggs at a Farmers’ Market or restaurant or retail store, then ODA will inspect your farm. They will make sure that water quality is acceptable for washing eggs, that the refrigerator is in working order, and that egg cartons are labeled properly. The only time that a license is required to sell eggs is when selling off farm at a Farmers’ Market. This Mobile Retail Food Establishment (MRFE) license can be obtained from our local County Health Department.
Today I’ll leave you with this quote from Mother Teresa, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Can you give me information on a roadside stand at the end of the drive at our farm? What are any rules I should be aware of? Can I sell allowable Cottage Foods from a building I have on my farm or do they have to be sold directly from the house in which they were baked?