Understanding the Florida Cottage Food Law
At the heart of Florida’s growing economy are small businesses, and this includes home-based culinary ventures regulated under what is commonly known as the Florida Cottage Food Law. The law was initiated to allow individuals to kickstart their homemade food-based businesses, as long as their operations complied with the stipulated health and safety guidelines. In this article, we will delve deeper into understanding what the law entails and how one can initiate a venture under this law.
Passed in July 2011, the Florida Cottage Food Law allows individuals to manufacture, sell, and store certain types of ‘cottage food’ products right from their own home kitchen. This legislation not only enables entrepreneurship but also promotes local economic activity. It principally revokes the necessity for food salespersons to invest in a commercial kitchen, marking a bold change from previous laws.
According to the Florida Cottage Food Law, cottage foods are defined as specific types of food that are prepared in a person’s home kitchen without using potentially hazardous ingredients. These include, but are not limited to, baked goods (like bread, cookies, cakes, etc.), candies, honey, jams, jellies, pastries, fruit pies, dried fruits, dry herbs and blends, and homemade pasta.
To initiate a home-based food business in Florida, one must strictly comply with the Florida Cottage Food Law. Firstly, the law restricts the annual gross sales of the business – for the current year, the cap is placed at $50,000. Secondly, the law mandates that owners must directly sell the cottage food products to consumers. There are no constraints on where these transactions take place – they can happen at a roadside stand, flea market, online, or from your home directly.
One major provision of the Florida Cottage Food Law is that it exempts home-based food businesses from food and building inspections. However, products must be generously labeled with specific information – name and address of the cottage food operation, name of the cottage food product, and the ingredients used in descending order of predominance by weight, to name a few.
Thanks to the Florida Cottage Food Law, numerous home cooks and bakers have been able to turn their talents into thriving businesses. Once established, business owners are bound by law to maintain the quality and safety standards of their products, primarily to safeguard consumers. It, therefore, pushes entrepreneurs to advocate for food safety, which is an admirable characteristic of this law.
Now that you know how the Florida Cottage Food Law is applied in promoting local businesses, it is time to take the leap and start your own! Airmart’s online selling platform provides the perfect place to set up shop and begin sharing your home-cooked creations with the world. Airmart facilitates easy selling and buying, making it the right choice for your cottage food business. Begin your entrepreneurial journey today with Airmart and flourish under the Florida Cottage Food Law.