Cottage food is a statewide program, so Dakota County home cooks follow Minnesota's cottage food law. You may sell non-hazardous home-made foods after registering with the state, with gross receipts capped at $78,000 per calendar year.
Minnesota's cottage food exemption, Minn. Stat. 28A.152, lets an individual sell certain home-prepared foods without a food license. Eligible foods are non-potentially-hazardous items and home-canned high-acid or low-water-activity products, such as baked goods, jams, and candies. The seller must register annually with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and stay at or below $78,000 in gross receipts per calendar year. Sales are allowed directly to consumers from the person's home, at farmers' markets and community events, and over the internet for pickup or delivery within Minnesota. Dakota County adds no separate cottage food ordinance, but city home-occupation zoning still governs whether you can operate the kitchen business at your residence.
Exceeding the sales cap, selling prohibited perishable foods, or selling without registering can end the exemption and require a full food license, with enforcement by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, including stop-sale actions.
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See how Dakota County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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