I'm looking to start selling peppers here in the next few months.. Are they're any requirements that I will need to meet from the FDA? I don't know much about this so I probably sound idiotic to some but any help here would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
legal Do you have to have a FDA Stamp to sell peppers online?
- Thread starter PepperWeston
- Start date
Not idiotic at all. I don't know much about the FDA and interstate shipping but something you might look into for getting started is selling dehydrated peppers via Cottage Food Laws. We have one in TX that basically says as long as you have a food handler's permit, only sell from your house or deliver personally, and meet some other stipulations you can sell up to $50k worth per year of certain things.
http://forrager.com/law/alabama/PepperWeston said:
This is a good source of information. However, you cannot sell online via this "Cottage law". You can only sell via Home, Farmers Markets, Events, and Roadside stands. Not online.
UNLESS you personally deliver the products to the customers.
Link to the actual Bill passed in 2014 for Alabama: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/ALISON/SearchableInstruments/2014RS/PrintFiles/SB159-enr.pdf
Thank You Milsman2 and Vicious Vex! I'm now in the process of getting my growers license it covers all bases here in Alabama I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help!
Glad to hear it man! I hope you stick around the forums. This place is a wealth of knowledge from people who have "been there, done that"PepperWeston said:
Our farm has been transitioning from cottage industry / farmers market sales to int
erstate commerce over the last couple of years. What I can tell you is that state laws differ greatly, but your county extension office can either answer your questions or tell you who can. For federal laws, they can be helpful but often fall far short of being able to figure it out.
The FDA does have a hand in your business the moment you offer to sell across state lines.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334114.htm
I know from experience that if you do sell across state lines, they will find you, they will send you a nasty gram, they will tell you about the huge fines and even potential jail time. Oh, and they won't tell you about the exemptions that the FDA has for small farms.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/UCM472499.pdf
Chances are, you stopped the flow chart at 25K in total sales. Don't because that is total sales, not profit. If at all successful, you will slam in to that figure soon enough and still be dirt poor. The next exemption is partial. It hits at 500K and below, but most of your sales must be to the consumer who will be eating it (not a business) or fairly local restaurants or retail food establishments.
Essentially, by the time you cross 25K for three years, you already need a plan to be compliant. Its not just being complaint with paper work. If you read the rules, you will quickly learn that there are federal laws for just about every thing. Where you germinate, the green house, any pets or farm animals, any building you might use, and so on.
If you read the rules in the first link, you will understand what a pain in the rear it could be. A corn farmer who is visited by deer would have to flag everywhere a deer pooped. Most I know do not walk threw each row every morning so how the hell would they know where the deer pooped?
erstate commerce over the last couple of years. What I can tell you is that state laws differ greatly, but your county extension office can either answer your questions or tell you who can. For federal laws, they can be helpful but often fall far short of being able to figure it out.
The FDA does have a hand in your business the moment you offer to sell across state lines.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334114.htm
I know from experience that if you do sell across state lines, they will find you, they will send you a nasty gram, they will tell you about the huge fines and even potential jail time. Oh, and they won't tell you about the exemptions that the FDA has for small farms.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/UCM472499.pdf
Chances are, you stopped the flow chart at 25K in total sales. Don't because that is total sales, not profit. If at all successful, you will slam in to that figure soon enough and still be dirt poor. The next exemption is partial. It hits at 500K and below, but most of your sales must be to the consumer who will be eating it (not a business) or fairly local restaurants or retail food establishments.
Essentially, by the time you cross 25K for three years, you already need a plan to be compliant. Its not just being complaint with paper work. If you read the rules, you will quickly learn that there are federal laws for just about every thing. Where you germinate, the green house, any pets or farm animals, any building you might use, and so on.
If you read the rules in the first link, you will understand what a pain in the rear it could be. A corn farmer who is visited by deer would have to flag everywhere a deer pooped. Most I know do not walk threw each row every morning so how the hell would they know where the deer pooped?