Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland [ Maryland Cottage Food Law ]
The state of Maryland established an extremely stringent cottage food law (SB 550) in 2012, which restricted sales to only be allowed at public events and farmer's markets. The statute was then significantly strengthened by three revisions that took effect between 2018 and 2020. In 2018, House Bill 1106 opened the door for new types of in-person direct sales within the state, including sales via mail order. At 2019, Senate Bill 290 legalized sales in retail establishments as well as food cooperatives. And in the year 2020, House Bill 1017 gave manufacturers the authority to omit their home addresses from product labels in favor of an identification number.
The cottage food law in Maryland is not as lax as some other states', particularly because it restricts the types of foods that can be sold and caps annual sales at $25,000. Additionally, the rule only authorizes certain types of non-perishable goods. However, the health department does not require a permission, inspection, or training (unless selling at retail stores), therefore it is quite easy to get started and apply this regulation. If you are selling at retail stores, however, the health department does demand these things.
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
Farmers have the option of obtaining an On-Farm Home Processing License, which allows them to sell up to $40,000 worth of additional food products such as pickles, dried fruit, and spicy sauces from their farms.
Listing of Contents (Table of) Restrictions on the Kinds of Foods That Can Be Sold BusinessLabelingResourcesForum\sSelling Where can you sell the food that you've cooked at home?
Allowed Locations for Events Venues Farmers' ' markets HOnlineRetail shops outdoor stalls and markets
Services That Are Allowed
Pickup at Home
Mail Order
Locations That Are Not Allowed
Restaurants
Services That Are Not Allowed
CateringWholesale
Although the law does not declare explicitly that internet sales are permitted, the fact that mail delivery is permitted provides some evidence that the law was written with the intention of facilitating online commerce. On this clickable map, you can browse a directory of local farmer's markets. If you are a farmer, you have the ability to obtain an On-Farm Home Processing License, which will allow you to sell certain food goods to other businesses such as restaurants and retail stores.
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
Foods That Are Allowed What kinds of edible items can you sell from the comfort of your own home?
Bread Bagels Bread made with bis bread Brownies Cakes Cookies Muffins RSweet bread
Sugary pastries and candies Br
Candies made with cotton Cotton candy
The dry ingredients Hone
Coffee oods Cereals Seasonings and complementary spices Tea and various seasonings and spices
Other types of leaves Pastries Danis
Fruit butters The s and jams Preserves Fruit butter
Caramel corn confections enrobed in chocolate The snack foods crackers and pretzels Fruit tanned in leather Granola Kettle and pretzels Fruit lea
Foods That Are Not Allowed
cooked items that expire quickly Foods that Are Coated in Chocolate baked goo that is perishable Dried veggies Pasta noodle ocolate Fudge Foods that are truffly acidified Low-acid canned e Pickles Salsas Sau Acidified Nut Nuts f canned food that is carbonated and id. Mustards that have been aged and fermented.
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
Nut butter Meat jerkies
There is a good chance that there are even more foods that are off limits, but the ones listed above have been verified.
Ingredients in dry goods (such as spice blends, baking mixes, tea blends, and the like) are required to be commercially processed. Items that are covered in chocolate (such as pretzels, graham crackers, and the like) are required to use chocolate that is created commercially. Hard candies are the only kind that are permitted. It is forbidden to bring any kind of soft confectionery, such as chocolate, caramel, or fudge. Honey must be unflavored. Farmers have the opportunity to obtain an On-Farm Home Processing License, which allows them to sell up to $40,000 worth of additional food products such as pickles, dried fruit, and hot sauces from their own farms. It is required that all foods be "non-potentially hazardous," yet there are some non-PHFs that may not be permitted. The majority of foods that do not require refrigeration (items that do not contain meat, dairy, etc.) are not thought to pose any significant health risks. Find out more.
Limitations How exactly would your homemade food company put your family in danger? Le
Kitchens used for commercial purposes are not allowed. Direct sales are the only kind that are allowed; sales to customers in other states are prohibited. Sales limit
It's possible that there are further restrictions, but the ones listed above have been verified.
Annual sales are restricted to a maximum of $25,000.
If you are a farmer, you have the ability to obtain a license for on-farm home processing, which will allow you to sell up to $40,000 worth of specific food items.
business What steps are required to start a food business from your own home?
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
Request from the Cottage Food Business:
You are required to submit an application through this online form in order to sell your items through retail outlets.
In addition to your food safety certificate and product labels (information on both will be provided below), you will be required to hand these documents over to any retail location to which you intend to sell your wares. You have the option of requesting an ID number, which would free you from the responsibility of including your home address on the labels.
The application process is completely free.
if you wish to sell your products through retail establishments, you are required to attend an ANSI-accredited food safety course, such as the food handler training that may be purchased from Learn2Serve for $7. The online class lasts for two hours and can be finished at your own pace.
Through the use of the Cottage Food Business Request form, you are able to submit the course certificate once it has been successfully completed.
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
If you want to sell your items through retail stores, you are required to submit all of your labels to the health department for review.
The Cottage Food Business Request form is the only acceptable method for submitting your labeling.
here is some information regarding the state sales tax in the state of Maryland. You can also be required to collect taxes levied by the local government.
How should items involving cottage food be labelled?
It is necessary for the label to collect regional Ingredients.
Address of the company Name of the company Net Amount Product Name of the Statement
Cookies with Chocolate Chips Bearing a Sample Label
are prepared by a home-based food enterprise that is exempt from the food safety rules of the state of Maryland. (10-point kind)
Do I Need a License To Sell Food From Home in Maryland
connies cake co
325 north street anywhere MD 52148
enriched flour (made with wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid), butter (made with cream and salt), semi-sweet chocolate (made with sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, and natural flavors), brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract (made with vanilla bean extract, alcohol, and sugar), baking soda, and salt (salt, calcium silicate)
There is an abundance of milk, eggs, wheat, and soy NET WT in this product.
1 pound, 4 ounces in weight (1.02 kg)
You have the option of requesting an ID number from the health department in the event that you do not wish to include your home address on your labels. After that, you can replace your home address on the labels with your identification number and your phone number instead. Obtaining a new identification number does not cost anything.
If you sell your items in retail locations, the labels on those products must additionally include the following information:
The number of the phone
Email address
The date it was produced.