Vendor Resources

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)