Expert: Carol Schlitt - 10/13/2009

Question
Carol,

I'm considering starting a home baked goods "business" for a little extra cash.  I've read your responses about needing a separate kitchen to meet Illinois state requirements and about getting a food handler certification.  Do I still need the certification if I'm working at a rented certified kitchen?

Also, does the entire process need to be done in the certified kitchen?  For example, if I wish to sell cakes, do they have to be baked, decorated, and packaged at the certified kitchen?  Or can I take the cake home for decoration/packaging?

And lastly, I'm not anticipating selling a whole lot of product...do I need to worry about labeling for ingredients, allergies, etc?

Thanks so much!

Answer
Hi Nancy,

Yes, you need to be a certified food handler whether you are working out of a separate kitchen in your own home or in a rented certified kitchen.  To find classes in your area, go to http://www.idph.state.il.us/ and click on the "Food Sanitation Manager Certification Courses" hot link (3rd box down on the right).  This will take you a map of the state of Illinois.  Click on your county to view courses offered in your area -- you'll need to call the instructor for more details.

And yes, the entire process of preparing cakes should be done in the certified kitchen.

As far as labeling, the FDA requires a packaged product label the lists the following: name of the product; list of ingredients in decreasing order of predominance by weight; net weight or volume;  and contact information of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. Nutrition information is not required unless you make a specific claim or have annual gross sales made or business done in sales to consumers that is more than $500,000 and have annual gross sales made or business done in sales of food to consumers of more than $50,000.

Good luck with your business.

Carol