How To Start A Cottage Food Business?

To start your cottage food business in your State, always contact your local city / county office and verify if a business license is required prior to starting. This is simply done by calling the main number to your city and letting them know you are starting a cottage food business and ask if you need a business license. Check about your specific State here... Check Your State

Cottage Food Labeling Requirements

All food items packaged in a domestic kitchen must be properly labeled prior to sale. The requirements vary from State to State. Check about your specific State here... Check Your State

What Is Considered Cottage Food?

Cottage food are the foods, deserts, breads, jams, jellies among others – that you can legally cook, bake and prepare from your kitchen and then sell to the general public. See all details here... Allowed Foods

Where Can I Sell My Cottage Foods?

Depending on your state laws, you may be able to sell your cottage foods to retail stores as well as individuals. However, some states only allow you to sell the products you made in your home kitchen to individuals or businesses – but never for retail. If you live in a state that is more restrictive of sales, this means that the person you sell to can NOT re-sale your product. To find out what your state allows, check here... Check My State Rules

Acidity Levels And Testing

Most states determine if a food is non-potentially hazardous by the acidity level found in the food. The higher the acidity, the more stable at a range of temps, that food product is. For example: milk is low acidity and requires temperature controls. Check about your specific State here... Check My State Rules

New Jersey Cottage Food Laws - Cottage Food Laws By State

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New Jersey now allows entrepreneurs to start home-based cottage food businesses. Here is the New Jersey Cottage Food Operator Permit application and here are the instructions to help you complete the application.

Here are some of the key features you should know about the New Jersey Cottage Food law:

Table of Contents

KEY FEATURES OF THE NJ COTTAGE FOOD LAW

WHAT’S ALLOWED?

Many non-perishable foods are allowed, including chocolate items
Internet advertising is allowed
Direct sales to customers allowed
Online sales are allowed, but delivery must be in person
Sales allowed at farmers’ markets

WHAT’S NOT ALLOWED?

Shipping products to customers is not allowed
Indirect sales through retail shops and restaurants is not allowed

REQUIREMENTS

Producers must take a food manager course (about $100 and 8 hours)
Producers must obtain a Cottage Food Operator Permit (about $100 and good for two years)
Producers are limited to $50,000 in sales per year

FOODS ALLOWED UNDER NEW JERSEY COTTAGE FOOD LAW

Bread
Rolls
Biscuits
Cakes
Cupcakes
Pastries
Cookies
Candy
Brittle
Toffee
Chocolate-covered nuts
Chocolate-covered dried fruit
Dried fruit
Dried herbs, seasonings, and mixtures
Dried pasta
Dry baking mix
Fruit jams (Additional information for jams and jellies)
Fruit jellies
Fruit preserves
Fruit pies
Fruit empanadas
Fruit tamales (except pumpkin)
Fudge
Granola
Cereal
Trail mix
Honey
Sweet sorghum syrup
Nuts and nut mixtures
Nut butters
Popcorn
Caramel corn
Roasted coffee
Dried tea
Vinegar
Mustard
Waffle cones
Pizzelles
Other non-perishable foods upon written application

ALTERNATIVES AND SOLUTIONS

Cottage food is safe. Critics who talk about the risk of food-borne illness give hypothetical examples of what could go wrong because real-world cases are rare or nonexistent.
IJ.org

Alternatives to explore

REAL LIFE – REAL WORLD

No kitchen, no home – but started anyway!

AGRICULTURE LOOPHOLE

Some states in an effort to help farmers, big and small, have created little loopholes that allow them to promote agriculture products.

I was speaking to someone from North Carolina, they had no money to start a hot dog cart or mobile catering business and after a phone call, I discovered NC had a loophole for funnel cakes (fried dough).

The loophole allows anyone with a pan, grease and dough to setup and sell fried dough in the state of North Carolina without anything to do with State licensing or Health Department approval.

Some cities in NC even exempt you from a business license too.

With that one loophole, they were able to start doing funnel cakes and then bought themselves a mini donut trailer with the profits.

NJ Department Of Agriculture Food Sales List and Requirements
(find your loophole)

An Easy Cheap Commercial Kitchen – for your food business dreams

For over a decade I’ve helped vendors (mostly hot dog vendors) find solutions and overcome obstacles.

One of the challenges with street food vendors is that every state requires a vendor to have a commissary (commercial kitchen).

This is easily solved with over a decade of solutions.

Little did I know it would come in so handy with folks who wanted to expand their cottage food business into a commercial kitchen.

If you’re serious about starting and want solutions that have worked for thousands and thousands of vendors and being used today… please take a look at these. *3 pages of real world solutions

CATERING

To start catering, you’ll still need a commercial kitchen but this article has some great links and helpful tips on finding one in New Jersey.

Allergens on Labeling

The FDA lists nine (9) major food allergens. Listing any of these on your label is a smart business practice and will certainly help your customers choose a product.

Milk
Eggs
Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Sesame seeds

UPDATES

Find an error or an update I need to add… and I’ll send you a special gift! Just email me at [email protected]

Need more resources? Check it out HERE (Helpful Resources)

Take a peek at the best vendors on the planet, the community that rocks the food vending world: Vendors United…

Disclaimer

This information is provided to help those interested in starting a cottage food business. It is not a document made by the state government. This information is not provided as law nor should be construed as law. Always use the contact information for each state to confirm compliance and any changes.

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