Selling food you made at home in California

Where you may sell

• Class A, direct only: your own home, farm stands, certified farmers markets, bake sales and holiday bazaars, CSA subscriptions, by phone or online
• Class B, direct and indirect: all of the above plus retail shops and food premises

Posting it to customers: A sale can be handed over in person, posted, or sent by a delivery service. The sale itself has to be inside California.

Worth knowing

• California registers cottage food operators LOCALLY, not statewide. The state department does neither, so ask your local enforcement agency environmental health department.
• Class A registers and files a self-certification checklist. Class B needs a permit instead, and may also sell through shops.
• Anyone preparing or packing must take a food processor course within three months of registering, then again every three years. An accredited food handler course counts.
• Only foods on the state Approved Cottage Food List may be sold, and they must be non-hazardous.
• Six rules catch people out: no cottage food work in the kitchen at the same time as family meals, washing up, laundry, ironing, cleaning or having guests round; no infants, small children or pets in the kitchen while you work; equipment kept in good repair; every food contact surface washed, rinsed and sanitised before each use; no vermin; and no smoking anywhere you prepare or store it.

Where to actually sell it in California

823 farmers markets and farm stands, which is one of the few places the rules above allow.

Markets in California

Every state