Farmers market food labeling in the US

The short answer

Food in a package at a US farmers market still needs a name, what’s in it, major allergens, how much is there, and who made it — plus whatever your state cottage-food or market rules add. Unpackaged samples and bunches of raw produce are labeled differently from sealed cookies.

Where this shows up in a real kitchen

Market managers sometimes only check for a health permit. Customers still pick up a sealed brownie without talking to you. That brownie is packaged food. A slice offered on a tray for tasting is not. Eggs, meat and dairy have extra state rules that are not “the cookie sticker”.

The US rule

FDA packaged-food basics apply when the item is packed before the customer takes it. State market and cottage-food rules add disclaimers and allowed-food lists. Raw, unprocessed produce often follows different produce-labeling norms. Weights-and-measures staff may check net quantity on jars.

How to apply it

Pack before the market if you can, with labels already on. Bring a ingredients folder for unpackaged items. Do not use a chalkboard as the only allergen source for sealed bags. If you sell honey, jam and cookies, each category may have a different extra rule — treat them as three SKUs.

1. Separate sealed SKUs from samples and from raw produce.
2. Label sealed SKUs before you leave home.
3. Carry specs for anything you talk through at the stall.
4. Check the market’s own labeling sheet, not only the state cottage PDF.

Worked example

Saturday in Asheville: sealed lemon bars with wheat, butter (milk), eggs on the pack; open sample tray of the same bar with a tent card; pints of blueberries with grower identity; hot coffee poured to order with no pack label. One stall, four labeling modes.

One laminated allergen sheet for every sealed SKU

The sheet helps staff. The customer who grabs a bag and walks away never reads the laminate.

Questions