Cottage Food License Ohio

A cottage food production operation is exempt from inspection and licensing by the ohio department of agriculture.

Cottage food license ohio. Ohio s cottage food law does not require any licensing from the ag department and there is no sales limit but the law limits producers in other ways. Typically the department of health or the department of agriculture approves and oversees cottage food businesses. Non potentially hazardous bakery products such as cookies breads brownies cakes and fruit pies jams. In those states you can sell at a farmers market or roadside stand jams and jellies as well as baked goods that don t require refrigeration.

The takeaway is that foods subject to spoilage bacteria and illness are pretty well controlled by state health departments or the usda. However all food products including those produced and packaged by cottage food production operations are subject to food sampling conducted by the ohio department of agriculture to determine if a food product is misbranded or adulterated. For a 10 fee ohio residents can get a home bakery license which allows production and sale of potentially hazardous foods like cheesecakes and dairy based foods. If your retail food for sale display exceeds 200 cubic feet 100 cubic feet at a farmers market a retail food establishment rfe license will be needed from your local health department.

Cottage food law although ohio has a good cottage food law it has another law which allows home bakers to sell perishable baked goods like cheesecakes and cream pies. An operation producing a cottage food may do so without licensing and inspection by oda but must follow labeling requirements and is subject to potential food sampling by oda. Rather than allowing all direct sales operations can only sell their items at specific types of venues which does include a couple indirect wholesale channels like selling to a restaurant. Most states now have these cottage food laws now that don t require a licensed kitchen.

Normally a cottage food operation is exempt from licensure from a local health department. What s considered a cottage food product in ohio. However there are a few instances where a license is needed. A cottage food production operation is exempt from inspection and licensing by the ohio department of agriculture.

However all food products including those produced and packaged by cottage food production operations are subject to. Cottage food production operation according to chapter 3715 of the ohio revised code means a person who in the person s home produces food items that are not potentially hazardous foods including bakery products jams jellies candy fruit butter and similar products specified in rules.