Missouri Cottage Food Law & Temporary Food Service: How they Differ

People often wonder what the difference is between the Missouri Cottage Food Law and Temporary Food Service or even if there is really any difference at all. They may even question why the health department even cares if individuals or groups sell food to the General Public. Doesn't it fall under the category of "let the buyer beware"? The answer to all of these questions and statements is yes, which will hopefully be explained in this article.

The mission of Public Health is to promote and protect the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. One way of accomplishing this is to ensure food that is prepared and served to the general public is safe. The foods we are most concerned about are potentially hazardous foods. These are foods that are either natural or synthetic, that require temperature control (cooling or heating) to prevent an individual from getting ill. Some examples include milk and milk products, cut tomatoes, poultry, tofu, baked or boiled potatoes, cooked rice, shell eggs, cut leafy greens, fish, garlic in oil mixtures, fresh sprouts and seeds, cooked beans, beef, pork, lamb, shellfish and crustaceans, cut melons, soy-protein foods, and heat-treated plant foods.

Missouri's Cottage Food Law protects operations out of an individual's home that produces baked goods such as cookies, cakes, breads, danish, donuts, pastries, pies, canned jam or jelly, and dried herb or herb mix, for sale directly to consumers. All foods sold to consumers must be labeled to include the name and address of the cottage food production operation and a statement that the food is not inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services or the local health department. Food sales from this operation must have an annual gross income of fifty thousand dollars or less.

Temporary Food Service is a fixed location where potentially hazardous food is provided for consumption for a period of 14 consecutive days or fewer in conjunction with a single event. If you advertise the event to the General Public with flyers, banners, newspaper articles, or social media, it is a temporary food service. Examples of these may include: auctions, bazaars, carnivals, fairs, festivals, fundraisers, garage/yard sales, political events, potluck dinners, or public exhibitions.

Your event is NOT considered a temporary food service if the food is prepared or provided by members of the group FOR members of the group and their invited guests such as:

A meeting or an event of a private or charitable organization, association, or club;

An activity of a church or other religious congregation;

A gathering such as a party, picnic, or potluck held by a neighborhood, family, community, school, or office

All temporary food service providers are required to comply with the rules of operation and to complete a Temporary Food Service Application. The application can be picked up, completed, and returned to the Monroe County Health Department located at 310 North Market Street, Paris, MO.

Again, a mission of Public Health is to protect the health of people and the communities where they live. Ensuring that food prepared and served to the general public is safe is a vitally important function of public health. If you have any questions regarding the information provided in this article, please contact Eric Breusch, Environmental Public Health Specialist, Monroe County Health Department, at (660) 327- 4653, x 222.