Fresh fruits and vegetables require no licensing or permitting.

If your product needs any temperature control (hot or cold) you will need to have a RFE (Retail Food Establishment) License or a FSO (Food Service Operation) License from the Country where your business resides to sell at a Farmers Market. In addition to the RFE or FSO you may need:

• If your product is raw meat, it will need to be butchered at a ODA or Federally licensed facility bearing the stamp of that organization. You will also need an ODA registration for a food warehouse facility registration.
• If your product is raw eggs your farm will need a large or small egg producer registration from ODA.
• If your product is cooked food or ready to eat food, you will need to contact your home county health department as your need of a FSO or RFE. Typically, FSO are for cooking on site and RFE are for maintain temperatures of already cooked products. We will accept either, but your County Public Health department will need to make the determination as to which license you need.

If your product comes under the Cottage Food laws. A great resource for Cottage food laws in the state of Ohio is https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/food-safety/resources/cottage-food.

IF your product is not allowed via Cottage Food Laws in Ohio and is not previously mentioned you will either need an RFE, FSO or it might need produced in a commercial licensed kitchen and a Canning or preserving License from ODA. Your best resource for that is your County Public Health department.

Please read the cottage food laws carefully as they have specific packaging and labeling guidelines that need to be adhered to at our market.

If you have specific questions about CVFM and the your products from a licensing point of view please feel free to contact me at mike@tierraverdefarms.com.

What are the Requirements for the Labeling of Cottage Food Products?

 A “Cottage Food Production Operation” is required to label all of their food products properly, which include the following information on the label of each unit of food product offered or distributed for sale: 

1. Statement of Identity - the name of the food product; 
2. Net Quantity of Contents - the net weight, in both U.S. Customary System (inch-pound system) and International System (metric).
3. Ingredient List - ingredients of the food product, listed in descending order of predominance by weight; 
4. Statement of Responsibility – the name and address of the business; 
5. The following statement in ten-point type: “This Product is Home Produced.”

 Note: If nutrient content claims (i.e. low fat, salt free, etc.) or health claims (i.e. may reduce heart disease) are made, the product must bear all required nutritional information in the form of the Nutrition Facts panel. All labeling components are to comply with 21 CFR Part 101, Food Labeling. The FDA Food Labeling Guide is an excellent resource of the proper labeling of food products.

See the downloadable Fact Sheet on Cottage Food for an example of proper labeling.