Cottage food sales require state permit

Whitman County offers opportunities to sell Cottage Food products at farmers markets, festivals and other similar bazaars. Cottage food operations is an opportunity to sell up to $25,000 of food in a home-based business.

A cottage food permit allows vendors to sell low-risk food, such as breads, candies, jams, jellies, fruit butters, seasoning, coffees, soup mixes and vinegars they have produced through cooking, baking or otherwise. These can be sold from home, over the web, at farmers markets or festivals and bazaars.

There are some limitations and regulations, and a cottage foods permit is needed.

“Selling cottage foods is a great way to make some extra money and deliver a wonderful product directly to consumers,” said Stephanie Smith, WSU consumer food safety specialist. “The standards are less than what would be found in a standard commercial food operation.”

Obtaining a permit requires filling out the one page application and 12 different attachments.

Cottage food operations still need a business license, a food worker card and to have the water supply for the operations tested if the water supply is private.

The operations are allowed up to 50 recipes per permit. To some people that will seem more than enough, for others, it doesn’t seem nearly enough. For those cases, an unchanging master recipe is allowed that can have different add-in ingredients such as nuts or fruit.

“The regulations that are in place are there to protect human health,” said Smith. “Understanding risks and taking active steps to reduce those risks, is essential.”

The low-risk foods doesn’t mean there is no risk.

“Some of the risks I see in this type of business include issues with suppliers/raw ingredients and the potential for cross contamination of a product,” said Smith.

While sales may occur online, the products cannot be shipped to customers. Instead, the customer must personally pick up the product according to state law. This is to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. To be able to ship product or sell whole, a person would be required to comply with more stringent regulation of a food processors permit.

“This is to ensure that the cottage food operator maintains physical possession of the product until it reaches the consumer,” explained Caleb James, a food safety compliance specialist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture.