How To Sell Your Food Goodies in Montana Legally

How To Sell Your Food Goodies in Montana Legally

Have you ever been told that you make the best homemade food items?  Maybe a cake, cookies, or even something bolder.

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Perhaps those same people have told you that you could sell them and make a bunch of money?

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But can you do that legally in the state of Montana?  It just so happens that you can, but there are a couple of rules that need to be followed.

The Montana Local Food Choice Act Makes It Possible

For Montana homemade foodies, the Montana Local Food Choice Act (MLFCA) is how you are able to sell those wares from the oven of your very own kitchen.

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The law states in part that it "exempts producers who sell specific homemade food products from licensing, certification, packaging, labeling, and inspection."  Homemade food products mean "food or a food product that is prepared in a private home that is not licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected per any official regulations."

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Follow These Rules in Montana and You Are Good to Go!

There are a few stipulations to selling your homemade goods to the general public.

Those include:

• Transactions of homemade foods between a producer and an informed end consumer only.
• Transactions within the state of Montana, sales across state lines are prohibited.
• Transactions must only be for home consumption or consumption at a traditional community event (weddings, funerals, potlucks, etc.).

Thinking even bigger than just a farmer's market?  The Montana Department of Health and Human Services offers the following advice:

"Food entrepreneurs often have goals to maximize marketing opportunities and revenue for their business, obtaining a retail food license, wholesale food license or both will highly increase access to local, national, and international markets."

You can read more about the Montana Local Food Choice Act here.