Starting A Food Business

How do you go about getting permission to market your famous barbeque sauce? Or what if you wish to sell pickles or homemade jam at the local farmers' market? The resources on this page will help.

If you are in Wisconsin, please review the UW-Extension fact sheet Starting a Small Food Business in Wisconsin updated on June 2008.

Preserving food at home is not the same as preserving food for a business.
Food preserved for sale is regulated by local, state and federal governments; food preserved at home is not regulated. The University of Wisconsin Extension has a number of publications available for home food preservation.

Wondering about preparing food for a church supper or other community event?
Begin by contacting your local Public Health Department. For Wisconsin listings by county, click here.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a web site for Starting a Food Business which, while general in nature, may be helpful.

It is important to look for state-specific resources to help you know what regulations will apply to your situation. However, if you want to jump-start your thinking about whether a food processing business is right for you, Pennsylvania State University Department of Food Science has some links to helpful reading for early decision making: resources for Small Food Processors and Potential Entrepreneurs can be found here.

The University of Georgia has a state-by-state list of resources for Starting your own Preserved Foods Business available here.

Or if you are simiply interested in selling home-prepared foods at a community event such as a church raffle, you'll find Guidelines for Selling Home Prepared Foods helpful.