Hi Vicki! There are great resources on details on the Illinois Extension office page! extension.illinois.edu/food/selling-food “Artisanal Food Business” means a person who manufactures or packages non-potentially hazardous food in a home kitchen or other appropriately designed kitchen on that property of their principal residence for direct sale by the owner or a family member. If you want to sell home-cooked food at these locations and the home where you prepare that food is in Chicago, you will need to register with the Chicago Department of Public Health. The University of Illinois Extension provides this educational website, which provides detailed information about the newly amended Illinois cottage operation law. This site is intended for cabin suppliers and potential suppliers. It includes the requirements, conditions and safe food handling practices to ensure public safety. This product was manufactured in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by a health department that can also treat common food allergens. In 2018, the Artisanal Food Operations Act significantly expanded the type of foods approved for sale by Illinois sellers to include chilled foods, canned tomato products, pickles, and more. The Illinois Stewardship Alliance lobbied for the 2018 amendment to the so-called Illinois Food Freedom Act. The 2021 changes open the door to greater expansion for home-based businesses like yours. Food packaging must comply with the labeling requirements of the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and include the following information on each of their products in conspicuous characters: If the food product you want to produce is on this list, it may still be possible to manufacture and sell it if you provide proof of analysis that meets the required acidity. (see test/acidity below) (1.6) To sell canned tomatoes or canned tomatoes, a home food contractor shall, (F) canned foods, other than the following foods, which are permitted if they are acidic/acidified and canned only in canning jars with new lids.

`canned food` means food stored in airtight, vacuum-sealed, sufficiently heat-treated containers (boiling water bath containers) to store food at normal house temperatures; Low-acid preserves are prohibited. Products must be stored in the apartment or in the appropriately designed and equipped business living room or kitchen on the property where the food is produced. Most states determine whether a food is not potentially hazardous due to the acidity of the food. The higher the acidity, the more stable the food product is at different temperatures. You can test the pH yourself with a pH tester. (Make sure it`s made for food and has a long spearhead). With VistaPrint.com or similar, you can quickly create professional labels that serve not only to meet state dietary guidelines, but also to market your great business and products. Selling homemade food is becoming easier for Illinois residents who want to work in their own kitchen. Updated in 2017 and 2021, state law allows homemade food manufacturers to sell a variety of products directly to consumers in many locations. Keep your area clean and disinfected to avoid cross-contamination and make sure you provide your customers with the safest and best food possible. To sell a fermented or acidified food, a craft food establishment must: NOTE: Although eggs, milk and dairy products are not permitted, their use as ingredients for permitted foods is acceptable. Yes, as long as the products meet the requirements of the Public Act for “artisanal food”.

Ben, I sent you an email due to the amendments to the IL Food Cottage Act that came into effect on 1.1.2022. Thank you! Many foods (not listed below on the list of prohibited foods) may be sold under the newly amended Cottage Food Act if the food has been approved for sale by the local health department. Everything you need to know to start or grow your cottage food business is here. Take a look at the world`s best sellers, the community that rocks the world of grocery sales: Vendors United. Many prohibited foods baked or cooked in authorized foods are rendered harmless and are therefore allowed. Under Illinois` cottage food laws (updated January 1, 2022), licensed cottage food operators are only allowed to produce non-potentially hazardous food (see examples of approved products below). Illinois` food laws require labeling of all products manufactured under the Cottage Food Act. A poster is also required. (1.7) A nationally recognized local health authority that regulates food services by an artisanal food establishment may require a cottage food establishment referred to in clause (1.6) to submit a commercial laboratory at the expense of the cottage food operator to verify that the product has a final equilibrium pH of 4.6 or less. Prior to the Cottage Food Act, Illinois farmers and food business owners had to prepare their produce in a licensed commercial kitchen, a high price that made it difficult to start or grow a small business.