Selling Homemade Food Products in NH - The Basics - Part Three [Fact Sheet]

When is a Commercial Kitchen Food License Required?

Starting a homestead food business is a dream of many home cooks. Beginning small, in your own kitchen, with shelf-stable baked goods and other allowed foods is a practical way to try out this venture.

There are some food safety and legal requirements that will help to create a delicious and safe product. This fact sheet, developed from New Hampshire Food Protection Section guidance, can help to get you started. In Parts One (https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource008106_Rep11826.pdf) and Two (https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource008107_Rep11827.pdf) you learned about the kinds of foods you can make and sell in your home kitchen. In this fact sheet, we will discuss the kinds of foods that require a commercial kitchen.

You will need a commercial kitchen food license and access to a commercial kitchen to make and sell these food products:

1. Acidified foods: low-acid foods to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added.

          Acidified foods include acidified or pickled:

• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Cabbage
• Artichokes
• Cauliflower
• Puddings
• Peppers
• Tropical fruits
• Fish
• Salsa
• Pepper Jelly
• Relish

    For a complete list, contact DHHS: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/contact.htm
 
2. Fermented foods – sauerkraut, kimchi

3. Special processes – dehydration

4. Refrigerated foods or foods requiring Time/Temperature Control for safety (TCS foods) including cheesecake, sandwiches, salads, soups, etc.

Commercial Kitchen Requirements

• Commercial refrigeration
• 3-bay sink to wash, rinse, and sanitize equipment
• Separate food prep sink
• At least one hand washing sink
• Mop sink
• Floors, walls, and ceilings are required to be smooth, durable, non-absorbant, and easily cleanable

Commercial Kitchen License Requirements

• Water test results
• Septic documentation, including approval for construction and approval for operation
• If the facility is new, then floor plans are required to be submitted for a plan review
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan may be required
   

Additional FDA Requirements for Acidified Foods

• Processors of acidified foods are required to attend and satisfactorily complete a Better Process Control School (BPCS) for acidified foods.
• In addition to the BPCS, manufacturers of acidified foods are required to file and register their scheduled processes with the FDA.

A scheduled process is the steps and controls you use to manufacture a food that will not permit the growth of foodborne illness causing microorganisms.

NH Food Protection has a detailed info sheet on these FDA requirements:

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/fp/documents/processing-faqs.pdf (Scroll to page 5)