In Ohio, thanks to our cottage food law, there are certain types of low-risk food products you can produce and sell out of your home kitchen with no inspection or licensing requirements. This is perfect for anyone who wants to test the market for their food product without the risk of investing a lot of money in a storefront. Only food products that are not potentially hazardous fall into the cottage food category. Ohio Revised Code Section 901:3-20-04 lists the food items approved as cottage food products. The list is very specific and includes the following food products: • Non-potentially hazardous bakery products (such as cookies, breads, brownies, cakes and fruit pies). • Jams. • Jellies. • Candy (including no-bake cookies, chocolate covered pretzels or similar chocolate covered nonperishable items). • Fruit butters. • Granola, granola bars and granola bars dipped in candy. • Popcorn, flavored popcorn, kettle corn, popcorn balls and caramel corn (does not include popping corn). • Unfilled, baked donuts. • Waffle cones. • Pizzelles. • Dry cereal and nut snack mixes with seasonings. • Roasted coffee, whole beans or ground. • Dry baking mixes in a jar (for making items such as breads and cookies). • Dry herbs and herb blends. • Dry seasoning blends (such as dry barbecue rubs and seafood boils). • Dry tea blends. If there is a specific food product you want to produce in your home that is not defined as a cottage food, you might need to obtain a home bakery license. If the item you want to produce is not defined as a cottage food or home bakery item, then you likely need to produce the product in a facility licensed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture or local county health department. For example, salsas, barbecue sauces, canned vegetables, frozen foods and homemade hummus must be produced in a licensed facility. Specifically, salsas, barbecue sauces and canned vegetables must be produced in a licensed cannery facility. Licensing information for those types of food products is available on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s website. If you’re not ready or able to obtain one of the licenses, you might be able to produce your food in a “food business incubator” facility that is already licensed. Several programs in Ohio provide licensed facilities for use by food entrepreneurs, such as ACEnet’s Food Manufacturing and Commercial Kitchen Facility in Athens or CIFT’s Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen in Bowling Green. The programs also provide additional support for developing food products. If you want to produce a home-based food product, first review these questions: • Is the food product in Ohio’s definition of cottage foods? If so, you do not need a license. • If the food product is not a cottage food, is it a home bakery product? If so, you will need to obtain a home bakery license and pass a home kitchen inspection. • If the food product is not a cottage food or home bakery product, is there another licensed facility where you can produce the product? You cannot produce the food in your home; unless you are able to use a facility that already has a license, you must obtain the appropriate license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture or your county health department. Fair entries due Entries close for the open class division of the 163rd Fairfield County Fair at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, and on Tuesday, the fair board office will remain open until 7 p.m. The Fairfield County Fair Board office is on the fairgrounds at 157 E. Fair Avenue, Lancaster. The OSU Extension Office Update is compiled by Connie Smith, program assistant and Master Gardener coordinator with the Ohio State University Extension Office in Fairfield County.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 21:26:34 +0000
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