Selling home-baked goods across Plymouth County runs through the local Board of Health under state food code 105 CMR 590. A Residential Kitchen registration and inspection are required; potentially hazardous foods stay off the approved list.
Massachusetts has no separate cottage food statute. Home food production falls under the state Food Protection Program regulation, 105 CMR 590, administered by each town's Board of Health. A resident who bakes or produces non-potentially-hazardous foods, such as breads, cookies, jams, and candy, registers the home as a Residential Kitchen, passes a Board of Health inspection, and labels each product with name, address, ingredients, and allergens. Foods needing time or temperature control, like cheesecake or canned low-acid vegetables, are not allowed. Boards of Health in Brockton, Plymouth, and the towns each handle their own registrations and inspections.
Selling home foods without Residential Kitchen registration, or offering potentially hazardous items, lets the Board of Health order sales stopped, impose fines, and refer the operation for full retail-food permitting.
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