Georgia Cottage Food Law: Food Safety Training Requirements

Food that you make at home and sell to other people directly is known as cottage food.

Each state has its own cottage food law, which regulates the types of foods you can sell, to whom and how you can sell them, and even how much revenue you can earn each year from selling cottage food.

Before you can open for business, some states require that you complete a food safety course.

This article discusses the Georgia cottage food law, and whether you need food safety training to sell homemade food.

Georgia cottage food production

Georgia allows the production and sale of homemade foods that don’t require time or temperature controls to keep them safe.

Allowed foods include:

• cakes
• fruit pies
• dried fruits
• pastries and cookies
• candies and confections
• jams, jellies, and preserves
• bread loaves, rolls, and biscuits
• dry herbs, seasonings, and mixtures
• cereals, trail mixes, and granola
• coated or uncoated nuts
• vinegar and flavored vinegar
• popcorn, popcorn balls, and cotton candy

Georgia allows you to sell these non-potentially hazardous foods in person at events, online, and even to retail food establishments like restaurants and grocery stores, but you cannot sell across state lines.

Conversely, you cannot produce time-temperature controlled for safety (TCS) foods, such as:

• mushrooms
• raw sprouts
• milk and dairy products
• meat (beef, pork, lamb)
• poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), including eggs
• fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
• untreated garlic and oil mixtures
• cooked, plant-based foods like rice, beans, potatoes, or soy products like tofu

Georgia’s cottage food law requires a license to operate a cottage food business. This license is good for one year and must be renewed annually.

To apply for a license, you must ensure there are no local ordinances that would prevent you from operating a home-based business, your water quality is acceptable, and complete an approved food safety training or handling course.

Do you need food safety training to sell homemade food in Georgia?

As part of your cottage food license application, you must complete an approved food safety course and provide a copy of the certificate issued upon completion.

Georgia only accepts food safety training courses that are ANSI-National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accredited.

FoodSafePal’s Food Handler training course is ANAB-accredited so it meets Georgia’s food safety training requirement for cottage food operators.

The course was created for employees in retail food establishments like restaurants and healthcare facilities, so some of the content isn’t applicable to cottage food businesses.

However, the course still covers the essential food safety principles you must know to keep the food you produce and sell safe from contaminants and disease-causing organisms known as pathogens that can make someone sick.

After completing the course, you’ll need to pass a multiple-choice test to earn your Georgia food handlers certificate.

Be sure to print or save a copy of your certificate after passing to include with your cottage food application.

Labeling requirements

Georgia’s cottage food law requires that every food item you make and sell includes specific information to informs customers.

This information is typically displayed on a label affixed to the product, but depending on how the item is sold, it can also appear on your website or a placard at the point of sale.

No matter the format, the following must be provided:

• Business name
• Home address
• Phone number
• The following statement in at least 10-point font: “This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state inspection. This product may contain allergens.”

You can also request an ID number from the Department of Agriculture as an alternative to your address.

While not required, it’s best practice to also include a list of ingredients in descending order by weight to help customers make informed choices.

The bottom line

Under Georgia’s cottage food law, you can produce and sell foods that don’t require time or temperature controls, like baked or other dry goods directly to people throughout the state.

If you want to start a cottage food business in Georgia, you must first apply for a license. With this application, you must include a copy of an ANAB-accredited food handler certificate, which you can earn by taking an online food handler training course, like FoodSafePal’s.

Don’t forget to make sure that your products include the necessary information to inform customers.