Self-guided, online course
Cottage food producers
The following are resources to help keep food safe for people who make and sell baked goods, canned goods or other foods or who process produce they grow on their own farm or garden.
Safe food sampling
Learn how to provide safe food samples and comply with the Safe Food Sampling law. Find videos, checklists and other resources.
Cottage foods
Training
- Cottage food producer food safety training - Tier 2 training for producers with $7,665 to $78,000 in annual sales.
- Tier 1 training applies to producers with less than $7,665 in annual sales. There are two options for this training:
- Complete free self-paced training on the MDA's cottage food page.
- Participate in free online training through the Minnesota Farmers' Market Association.
Food safety
- Using freeze-dried ingredients in cottage food
- Using frozen or fresh berries for frozen cottage foods
- When can you use fresh, cut fruit in cottage food products?
- Listeria and candied and caramel-coated apples
- Testing water activity in cottage foods
- How to select and use a pH meter to test cottage foods
- Preserving food using hot-fill hold
- Preserving food using cold-fill hold
- Labeling cottage food items
Food handling and sanitation
- Step-by-step cleanup of vomit and diarrhea
- Wearing single-use disposable gloves safely
- Handwashing for food safety
- Sanitizing equipment and food contact surfaces
Resources
- Sign up to receive the Cottage Foods Connections newsletter from Extension
- Follow this checklist to produce a safe and legal cottage food product
- Canning and pH testing record for cottage food producers (Google doc)
- Food Safety for Food Entrepreneurs - Iowa State University Extension Store. A series for food entrepreneurs about best practices related to food safety, food labeling, and cleaning and sanitation of food contact surfaces. Free to download.
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