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No, farms in Minnesota are not required to be licensed to sell fruits and vegetables that they grow. If the farm is selling produce that was grown by a different farm, then they are required to have a license to resell or redistribute it. A product of the farm or garden may be further processed by the farm (e.g., canned pickles), but if off-farm ingredients are added, such as vinegar or sugar, a license is required. For more information, see Food Licensing Exclusions and Exemptions. 

Businesses such as produce aggregators or food hubs which purchase produce from multiple farms, aggregate (combine) it, and then handle, package, or distribute produce, are required to hold a license with the MDA.

No, most produce farms within Minnesota are not required to have a food safety inspection. Only the larger farms that meet certain sales thresholds and markets are required to have a food safety inspection from the MDA Produce Safety Program. You can request to see a copy of an inspection report from any farm that is inspected to better understand any food safety concerns.

Additionally, some farms elect to have a third-party food safety audit, such as a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit, but this is not a regulatory inspection. If your farmer has undergone one of these voluntary food safety audits, it is typically for one or two crops they grow, not the entire farm. You can ask to see their certificate to verify the fruits and vegetables you’re buying have passed an audit. Farms need to re-certify each year – it does not carry from year to year. 

Small farms are not more or less safe than a large farm. All farms have the same types of food safety risks and must implement strategies to mitigate those risks. 

The Minnesota Grown label is not indicative of food safety. It is a marketing program to help farms communicate that their food is grown in Minnesota. No regulatory program or food safety education is associated with the label. 

A conversation is a good way to make sure you are getting produce that is grown, harvested, and packed using best practices for food safety. You can ask a general question such as “Can you tell me about your food safety practices?” or “How do you address food safety on your farm?” Listen and ask clarifying questions so you can make a confident decision to purchase from the farmer. 

Here are some other questions you can ask:

1. Did you take a produce safety course to learn about assessing food safety risks on your farm, how to mitigate them, and how to correct issues if/when needed? Can I see the certificate?
2. Do you have a written food safety plan or standard operating procedures (SOPs)?
3. If you have workers, how and what are they trained on food safety?
4. Do you test your water to ensure it has no detectable E. coli? Can they share the results?
5. Can you explain your handwashing practices and hand sink accessibility while harvesting produce?
6. After harvest, how do you protect the food from contacting dirty surfaces? How do you clean and maintain your harvest bins?
7. What is your pest management program for your fields and in your packshed?
8. What are your practices to minimize produce touching dirty boxes or packing materials?
9. Can I see your inspection reports from the MDA Produce Safety Program for the last two years and/or your third-party audit reports? 

For even more information, see this on-farm food safety questions resource.

Under the Produce Safety Rule there is no required temperature to store or transport whole intact produce. However, if the produce has been processed or cut, such as in the case of pre-packaged salads or cut melons, additional safety guidelines come into play. 

For Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Foods—which includes items like sprouts, cut leafy greens, cut melons, and cut tomatoes—the Minnesota Food Code requires these items to be received at 41°F (5°C) or below. This helps to prevent harmful bacteria growth and maintain food safety.

As a buyer, communicate with local farmers about specific temperature requirements for receiving produce, based on the type of produce and your own regulatory needs. Clear communication ensures proper handling and compliance with food safety guidelines.

All packaged produce should have a complete label. The farmer or you, as the buyer, can prepare these labels, but labels must include:

1. Name of the product: The label must clearly identify the product.

2. Contact information: The name and address of the manufacturer (i.e. grower), packager, or distributor must be provided. 

3. Net quantity: The net quantity of the contents (either by weight or count) must be displayed.

4. Ingredient list: An ingredient list is not required for single ingredient items. However, if the produce is processed (e.g., pre-cut or canned) or contains additives, an ingredient list is required.

5. Nutritional information: A nutrition facts panel is generally not required. However, if the packaging includes any nutritional claims (such as "low calorie" or "high in fiber"), a nutrition facts panel must be included.

    

If you are buying unpackaged produce (e.g., displayed in open trays or bulk), individual labeling is not required. However, if you're purchasing cases of bulk, loose produce for resale or distribution, you may require your farm suppliers to label these cases with complete food packaging labels or provide other information to help with traceability. The farm may also choose to include labels with lot codes or other traceability information for their own records.

Organic certification is not a food safety inspection or audit. While it does involve an inspection of farming practices to ensure a farm meets USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards, such as the use of organic seeds and avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, it is not focused on food safety. Organic certification is conducted by accredited organizations and serves primarily as a marketing tool to communicate that the produce meets organic production standards. 

Since 1929, Minnesota has had the services of County Agricultural Inspectors. The duties of this position are to see that all laws and rules dealing with noxious weeds are carried out within their jurisdiction. They may also participate in control programs for seeds, feeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and insect pests when requested to do so by the Commissioner of Agriculture.

A key provision of the Noxious Weed Law provides for state, county, and municipal cooperation in enforcement. Each has a separate and distinct function that makes duplication of effort unnecessary and yet allows all three to join forces on difficult enforcement problems. The role of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is to see that there is uniformity in enforcement among the counties. In performing this task, the department currently provides a substantial amount of support services annually to each county. This support is in the form of training, laboratory support, enforcement materials (law booklets, forms, etc.), and direct technical assistance. These services are used largely by county agricultural inspectors who, in turn, are responsible for training and guiding municipal officials in their responsibilities for enforcement. Municipal officials are responsible for inspection of all land in their jurisdiction and for making the first contact with the landowner. Statistics indicate that about eighty percent of landowners with a noxious weed problem comply after being contacted by municipal officials. For the remaining twenty percent, the county agricultural inspector would issue an individual notice for each violation establishing a time limit for compliance. Statistics again indicate about an eighty percent compliance rate with the notices. The remaining four percent not yet in compliance face either prosecution or proceedings whereby the county agricultural inspector would hire the control done. This system of enforcement is aimed at achieving voluntary compliance whenever possible because that is the cheapest and most effective form of enforcement. Every year, county agricultural and local weed inspectors make over 10,000 contacts with landowners to control noxious weeds. Consistently less than four hundred of these result in the issuance of individual notices. This data indicates that county and local governments are effective at achieving compliance without having to use more expensive enforcement methods in every case.

The objective of the Minnesota Noxious Weed Law is to prevent the spread and proliferation of undesirable plants in order to minimize the adverse effects on the state's citizens. A majority of other states and the federal government have such laws. The adverse effects include: illness in both humans and livestock; loss of crop due to competition; environmental degradation because the species present are either non-native or out balance; and aesthetics.

County Agricultural Inspectors are also vitally important to the MDA's Seed Regulatory Program. Inspectors provide 1/4 of the annual seed samples collected statewide. The seed industry in Minnesota is ranked among the best in the United States. Sales of agricultural seed to farmers in Minnesota for planting purposes are worth over $350 million annually. Adding lawn, vegetable, and flower seed to those sales would raise the figure to over $400 million annually. An average Minnesota county has over 350,000 acres of farmland and an annual cash farm income of over $90 million. An average county would have sales of agricultural seed valued at over $4 million annually. Current statistics indicate about a ten percent violation rate on seed involving factors that could affect yield. Preventing the sale of mislabeled seed could save farmers in an average county over $900,000 in lost crop annually if a ten percent yield reduction occurred on farmland planted to mislabeled seed. A one percent reduction in crop loss due to an effective seed inspection and sampling program conducted by a county agricultural inspector could pay for the cost of the program for a year.

Participation in the control programs for feed, fertilizer, pesticides, and insect pests is also beneficial. The environmental and public health concerns relating to these programs make them a high priority for regulators at the federal, state, and county levels.