Minnesota Farmers' Market Association

Minnesota Farmers' Market Association

The MN Cottage Foods Law (Minnesota Statute 28A.152) was first passed in 2015, allowing for "non-potentially hazardous foods" (baked foods; certain pickled or canned foods; jams, jellies, etc.) to be made in your home kitchen without a license, as long as the cottage food producer (CFP) successfully completes the mandated food safety training and registers with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Prior to the 2015 CFL, was the 'Bread Bill,' and then the 'Pickle Bill.' The CFL has been amended a few times since 2015, the latest in 2025; those changes do not go into effect until August 1, 2027.

cf5

Feel free to read and download our cottage foods manual. (Email info@mfma.org if you need a paper copy.) It covers the following topics:

The cottage food laws for human foods and pet treats
What cottage foods are and are not
How to test for pH and Aw
Labeling requirements for human foods and pet treats
Hemp and cannabis in cottage foods
Food testing labs
Beyond cottage foods - buying a license
Cottage foods vs. product of the farm
Sales tax
Product liability insurance
SNAP eligibility and cottage foods
Food safety
Registering with MDA
Resources
- Food sampling
- CFP Facebook Group
- MDA
- UMN Extension
- AURI

cf6

Cottage food producers - check out the master foods list for the 1000s of foods that are eligible as cottage foods in MN. Don't see the food you want to make? Email us and ask us to research it: info@mfma.org.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Food Testing Log
Food Science Library - find answers to many of the food science answers behind decisions impacting cottage foods

Food Product Sampling and Demonstration Exemption From Licensing

Click here to copy and download your own copy of the Food Sampling Worksheet.

Testing cottage foods for pH

Testing cottage foods for Aw

cf4

Get Registered!

Free Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Test, Application

Register here for MFMA's free Cottage Foods Training classes, all via zoom. You will learn the legal requirements & more, take the text, and complete the application.

JANUARY

Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sat, Jan 17, 1 - 3pm
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Wed, Jan 21, 10am - 12pm
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sun, Jan 25, 1 - 3pm

FEBRUARY

Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Tues, Feb 10, 5:15 - 7:15pm
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sat, Feb 14, 2 - 4pm
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Thurs, Feb 19, 1:30 - 3:30pm

MARCH

Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sat, Mar 21, 1 - 3pm
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Tues, Mar 24, 5:15 - 7:15pm

APRIL

Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Fri, Apr 10, 9 - 11am
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Application, & Test: Sun, Apr 19, 1 - 3pm

CottageFoodieCon 2026: Thurs - Sat, Apr 23 - 25

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MFMA provides services, programs, and leadership that support and promote farmers' markets across Minnesota and our Tribal Nations.

We envision a community of vibrant, profitable, and professionally managed Minnesota farmers’ markets that:

Cultivates, nourishes, and inspires a vibrant local foods community;
Provides accessibility to all to local farm fresh foods;
Allows local food producers to thrive and grow;
Ensures these opportunities are available to everyone regardless of ethnicity, age, gender identity, or economic standing.

Director of Government Affairs: Friendly Vang-Johnson /// friendly@mfma.org /// (206) 276-2284

Farmers' Market Advocate: Sina War /// sina@mfma.org

Executive Director: Kathy Zeman /// kzeman@mfma.org /// (507) 664-9446

Minnesota Farmers' Market Association | 9800 155th St E | Nerstrand MN 55053-2403