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All individuals who want to make and sell foods described in the Cottage Food Law need to register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) before selling food.

If you’re not regularly engaged in selling food, as defined in Minnesota Statute, then you do not need to register. However, if you regularly sell cottage food at these types of venues or directly from your home, then you do need to register.

The cost of registration is determined by annual sales within the calendar year, which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The registration fee is $50 if you sell more than $7,665 in a year. If you sell $7,665 or less in a year, there is no fee.

See answer in Amount of Sales section below. Note that the maximum amount of annual sales allowed under the Cottage Food Law is $78,000 for an individual.

Your registration expires on December 31 of the year it was issued. If you want to continue to sell food under the Cottage Food Law, you will need to re-register for each year that you are selling food.

Yes, you must complete training and pass an exam prior to registering and selling cottage food. For more information on training, see the Training section below.

Cottage food can be produced in a home kitchen or in a commercial kitchen, as long as you follow local ordinances. Commercial kitchens offer the equipment and spaces usually required for a food license issued by the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, or one of their delegated regulatory agency.

As is always the case, do not make, sell, or store cottage food in your home if anyone in the household is sick. Follow good food safety practices of proper hand hygiene, preventing bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, and regular cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and surfaces.

You must comply with the ordinance and cannot produce and sell food from your home. Depending on the ordinance, it may be possible to make and sell food as a registered cottage food producer at an acceptable location such as a commercial kitchen. If you have a question about this, check with your city or county.

An individual who qualifies for a cottage food exemption may organize the individual's cottage food business as a business entity recognized by Minnesota state law. More information on legal Minnesota business entity structures can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State Office website.

Yes. You can only register and sell food under the Cottage Food Law if you are selling a type of food allowed under law, have taken the proper training, are properly labeling the food, are selling and delivering the food directly to consumers in places allowed by the law, are not exceeding the $78,000 annual sales cap, and your local jurisdiction (city or county) does not have an ordinance restricting you from making or selling food from your home. Each of these topics are further explained in the sections below.

You will need a food license. Food licenses do not have restrictions on the amount of annual sales, allow for a wide variety of foods to be sold, and allow for several types of sales including shipping food in the mail. A food license requires the use of an approved kitchen space and equipment that meets applicable regulatory requirements. Inquiries about food licensing can be submitted through MDA's Licensing Liaison request form.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will send you a registration card in the mail with a unique registration number. Keep your registration with you when selling food. An inspector or market manager may ask to see it and you need to show your registration when asked.

• You may check the status of your registration in the MDA's Licensing Information Search. Fill in the desired search terms (name, city, or county) and select COTTAGE FOOD PRODUCER REGISTRATION in the License Type list.
• Once you are listed in this database with a registration number you can sell your cottage food items, even if you have not yet received your registration card in the mail.
• It may take up to 30 days for your registration to be processed and displayed in the online system. Registration cards are mailed within one week of processing.

Some resources that cottage food producers find helpful are:

• Minnesota Cottage Food Producers Association
• University of Minnesota Extension - For Food Entrepreneurs
• University of Minnesota Extension - Cottage Food Office Hours
• Minnesota Farmers' Market Association - Cottage Foods Academy
• Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
• AURI - "Ask an Expert" Office Hours

Yes, a non-Minnesota resident can apply for a Minnesota Cottage Food Producer registration. They can make the food in their non-Minnesota home, but the food still needs to be provided in person to the customer in Minnesota (meet up location in Minnesota, or at a Minnesota farmers' market or community event). 

NOTE:  Cottage foods can cross state lines, with the exception of acidified jarred or canned foods (e.g., pickles, tomato sauce). Those foods must be both made and sold in Minnesota.