What licenses are needed to sell packaged food form small home business? ?

Question

What licenses are needed to sell packaged food form small home business? ?

Answer 1

There will be a LOT of rules from your Department of Health as well as FDA to follow

One is that your kitchen should pass the commercial standards, and if not, then you have to find a commercial kitchen to prepare your food.

Read FDA's Starting a Food Business Guide with links to regulations on food preparation, packaging, etc http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/foodbiz.h...

Then contact your state's Department of Health to inquire about their requirements. Before you get the permit, an inspector will come to your home to check the area where the food will be prepared and whether your kitchen will pass their standards or not

Answer 2

Since you are on UK answers, I assume you are based in the UK (so US answers are just that!)

Food business must register with Local Authority EH food team.  This is free, but they will want to inspect your food preparation facilities and expect you, and anyone working for you, to have some food hygiene training.

The one day course is probably OK but you might wish to take one of the intermediate (supervisors) courses.  

Health & Safety (usually a separate EH team) will also have some input, but how much depends on what you are using to prepare food.

Depending on the scale of the business you may need planning permission - check with the planning department.

Check with the foodies about labelling - if you are selling by weight, the trading standards/weights and measures people can advise you on what you need to do.

Remember, once you start running a business from home it is no longer used 'solely as a domestic dwelling' giving EH/TS powers of entry to the parts used for business purposes.

Answer 3

contact your local courthouse

Answer 4

Contact your local Environmental Health office as you will require to have your premises and yourself and any staff certified by them, plus the treasurers department as they will no doubt want to levy business rates on you.

Good luck