Cottage Food
Le Partage Sourdough is a cottage food operation: we bake in a home kitchen under Florida’s cottage food law (section 500.80, Florida Statutes). Every product we sell carries this statement:
Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.
This page is here to keep you safe and informed, whoever you buy from. Cottage food isn’t inspected by the state the way a commercial kitchen is, so it helps to know what the law asks of every cottage food seller, at our table or anyone else’s.
What that means
- We don’t need a food permit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and our kitchen isn’t routinely inspected. The department can investigate if it receives a complaint.
- We can only make foods that don’t need refrigeration to stay safe, such as breads, rolls, cakes, pastries, cookies, candies, jams and fruit pies.
- We can only sell directly to you, never wholesale or on consignment. We sell online, at markets, and for pickup and local delivery.
- Every product is prepackaged and labeled, as the law requires.
- Cottage food operations are limited to $250,000 in gross sales a year.
Buying cottage food at a market
Farmers markets are full of great home bakers and makers. Florida’s rules are the same for all of them, so here’s what to look for on anything sold as cottage food:
- It’s prepackaged and labeled. Cottage food has to be sold already packaged, with a label, not sliced or scooped to order from an open tray. Even free samples have to be prepackaged.
- The label has everything on it: the seller’s name and address, the product’s name, its ingredients from most to least by weight, its net weight or volume, allergen information, and the statement “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.” in type at least 10 points tall.
- It doesn’t need to be kept cold. Cottage food is limited to foods that are safe at room temperature. Cheesecake, cream or custard pies, cream cheese frosting, and anything with meat or seafood can’t be made as cottage food, so something like that kept in a cooler and sold as cottage food is worth asking about.
- It’s sold to you directly. Cottage food can’t be sold wholesale or on consignment, so it shouldn’t be on a store shelf or café counter.
Something missing doesn’t always mean something’s wrong. Many vendors bake in a permitted, inspected kitchen instead, and their food doesn’t carry the cottage food statement because it doesn’t need to; they can also sell foods that need refrigeration. The thing to watch for is food that’s sold as cottage food but doesn’t follow the rules above. If you’re unsure, ask the seller: a good one will be glad to tell you how and where their food is made. If something still doesn’t seem right, you can let the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services know (see “Who can I contact with a concern?” below).
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe?
Florida only allows cottage food operations to make foods that are considered low risk: foods that don’t need refrigeration to stay safe, like bread, cookies and jams. Our kitchen isn’t inspected by the state the way a commercial bakery is, which is why every product carries the statement above. If you have a question about how something is made, just ask.
What makes a food "cottage food"?
Florida limits cottage food to foods that stay safe at room temperature because of what they’re made of, not just how long they look fresh. Bread, cookies, jams and similar foods are dry enough or acidic enough that the bacteria that cause foodborne illness can’t grow in them. Foods that are moist and not acidic, like custards, cream cheese frostings or meat fillings, can look and smell fine while bacteria grow, which is why they need refrigeration and aren’t allowed as cottage food.
Why does my label say the bakery isn't subject to Florida's food safety regulations?
Florida law requires that exact statement on every cottage food product’s label, so you know it was made in a home kitchen that doesn’t hold a state food permit. You’ll see it on the packaging and on each product here.
What's on the label?
Florida requires every cottage food product to be prepackaged and labeled with the bakery’s name and address, the product’s name, its ingredients from most to least by weight, its net weight or volume, allergen information, nutrition information if a nutrition claim is made, and the cottage food statement.
What about allergies?
Each product lists its ingredients, with allergens marked, on its page and on its label. Our kitchen handles wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds and other common allergens, so we can’t guarantee anything is allergen-free. If you have a food allergy, please contact us before ordering.
Why can't I find your bread at a café or grocery store?
Cottage food operations can’t sell wholesale or on consignment, so we sell only directly to you: online, at markets, for pickup and by delivery.
Why don't you sell items that need refrigeration?
Foods that need to be kept cold to stay safe, like cream cheese frosting, custard or meat fillings, aren’t allowed under the cottage food law.
Who can I contact with a concern?
About our food, please tell us first at lepartagesourdough@gmail.com. About any cottage food, ours or anyone else’s, you can reach the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Food Safety at 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352) or FoodSafety@FDACS.gov. The department looks into complaints about cottage food operations, and it helps to say where and when you bought the food and what the label said.