![]() | Minnesota Cottage Foods Academy |
Cottage Foods Tier 1 Training, Test, Application Zoominar This 2-hour training is offered monthly year-round. It covers the legal requirements; food safety issues; completing the required MDA training, test, and submitting your application. MFMA's Tier 1 Cottage Foods Training Slides. Click here to sign up for the Cottage Food Safety News from UMN Extension. UMN Extension's 2025 Food Safety Series Join other Minnesota cottage foods producers and farmers' market managers to ask Extension educators about food safety, safe food handling practices, and questions about allowable and not allowable foods. The first 15 - 20 minutes will be on a topic of the month, the remaining time will be devoted to your questions. Want to submit a question in advance? email exfdsafe@umn.edu. The Monday sessions are from 5-6pm, the Tuesday sessions are 11:30am-12:30pm.
UMN Extension's YouTube
UMN Extension produced a number of food safety zoominars in 2024, covering food safety foundations, as well as 8 specific topics ranging from freeze drying to making juice to canning pickles. Check out those 1-hour videos here. FOOD SAFETY FOUNDATION VIDEOS
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| Resources for cottage food producersBUSINESS SECTION
Once you are a registered CFP, be sure to join the MN Registered Cottage Food Producers Group on Facebook. Super supportive group! FOOD SAFETY SECTION
Register with the Minnesota Department of AgricultureGo here to register with the MDA. This is the same link you use to renew your cottage foods producers registration every year. By law, your CFP registration is valid in 30 days or less if submitted correctly to MDA. Your certificate will be mailed; you can also look for your registration on MDA's 'license lookup' webpage. | Testing Your FoodsThe cottage foods law, M.S. 28A.152, requires that you sell cottage foods that meet one of two parameters: either 4.6 or below for pH; or .85 or below for water activity. When you use the 'tested & approved' recipes mentioned in our Master Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods Guidance List, you do not need to test your cottage foods for either pH or water activity. But if you're experimenting with recipes or want to attempt any of the recipes in the "Exceptions" column in the guidance list, here are some options for you to learn how to test for both pH and water activity. Click either topic below for suggestions on the testing meters that work adequately, as well videos and step-by-step instructions on how to use the meters and record your results.
Testing cottage foods for Aw |