Below are some resources that may be helpful to vendors:
Food items approved for sell at a farmers market (without a Farmer’s Market License):
- Fresh fruits and vegetables which are whole and uncut
- Bakery products which are not potentially hazardous. These products include only the following items: breads, cakes, doughnuts, pastries, buns, rolls, cookies, biscuits, and pies (except meat pies). The following products are examples of bakery products that are potentially hazardous and cannot be sold at farmers market without a license: soft pies, custard filled products and cream filled products.
- Fresh Shell Eggs that are kept at 45 F or below (ambient temperature)
- Honey (products containing honey would have to be individually evaluated)
- Non-potentially hazardous food products: products that do not require refrigeration. These products can be prepared in the home, to be sold for consumption off-the-premise. Some examples of products that can be prepared in the home for direct sale to consumer customers include: jams, jellies, candies and dried noodles. (Only jams and jellies that meet the Standard of Identity for jams and jellies specified in 21 CFR Part 150 are exempt from licensing at a Farmer’s Market)
**Food sales requiring a Farmers Market License include prepared foods which require temperature control for food safety. A Farmer’s Market License is an annual license which allows a vendor to sell potentially hazardous foods at Farmer’s Markets in the County that it is issued for. If the vendor operates at Farmer’s Markets across various Counties, then a Farmer’s Market license must be obtained for each County.
(Above information directly from the Iowa Dept. of Inspections and Appeals)
- Iowa Farmers Markets Requirements From Inspections & Appeals Food & Consumer Safety Bureau
- Ensuring Food Safety at the Farmers Market
- FDA Food Code Title 21, Part 150 – Fruit Butters, Jellies, Preserves, and Related Products
- Iowa Sales and Use Tax Guide
- Farmers Market License Application
- Food Establishment License Application
- Home Bakery License Application
- Temporary Food License Application
- Peddler-Vendor/Transient Merchant/Solicitor City Of Mason City, Iowa
- Iowa Wireless EBT Project – Step-by-Step Process
- Iowa Wireless EBT Project
- USDA SNAP and Farmers Markets
- Iowa’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program
- Iowa Farmers Market Nutrition Program Vendor Certification Handbook
- The Art & Science of Farmers’ Market Display
- Farmers Market Display Checklist
- Farmers Market Marketing Series #7: Three Big Ideas on Your Booth
- Farmers Market Displays on Pinterest