FARMERS MARKET Winnebago County Health Department Originated by - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

FARMERS’ MARKET Winnebago County Health Department Originated by Karen Hobbs

Farm Markets • Consist of individual vendors -mostly farmers- who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared food and beverages • Are a great venue to enjoy fresh, seasonally grown produce that was grown within a drivable distance • Farmers/producers sell food directly to the consumer • Are a great starting point to market your food product • Are a great starting point to learn the various aspects of becoming a food operator

Key Points • IMPORTANT: This presentation is solely based on the IDPH administrative code, and the Winnebago County food code and policies for Farm Markets • Our goal as a regulatory agency is to provide consistent information for farmers, food vendors and consumers • Booth evaluation is based on: o Menu o Food service operation o Commissary Status o Vendor’s credentials (Ex. FMFPSHC, FSSMC, Certificate of Registration for Cottage Foods) • Each farm market booth is evaluated on a case by case basis

Definitions • Approved Licensed Commissary: licensed commercial establishment, restaurant, or any other place approved by the LHD or other enforcement agency. The vendor uses this site to prepare food, obtain water, clean equipment, store food and other supplies, empty and dispose wastes. Licensed commissary must be appropriate for the vendor’s farm market menu. • Cottage Food Vendor : farmers market vendor who produces or packages non- potentially hazardous food in a kitchen of the person’s primary domestic residence for direct sale by the owner only at Farmers’ Markets. • IDPH Farmers’ Market Food Product Sampling Handler Certificate (FMFPSHC ) : Winnebago County Interpretation of the this Code: o Vendors with a valid sampling certificate and sell only produce and/or commercially pre-packaged shelf-stable foods may sample without having to pay an additional Farmers’ Market permit. o Vendors with booth selling pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods and would like to utilize the IDPH Sampling Certificate will be licensed based on what is being sold in the booth and not what is being sampled. o IDPH Sampling Certificate is not approved for any concessions and cottage food vendors. • Food product sampling handler: any person who is engaged in performing tasks such as unpackaging, cutting, slicing, preparing or distributing food product samples to consumers at a Farmer’s Market. (For Cottage Food vendors, these are done at their primary residence. Samples must be pre-packaged)

Definitions (continuation) • Food product sampling: food product samples distributed free of charge for promotional or educational purposes only. • Food product sample: individual portion of food given to a consumer without charge to allow consumers to experience a small portion of the product. • Point of Sale: means the physical location where food products are sold to customers. • Potentially Hazardous Foods: Foods that are capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms. o Cold hold foods at 41 ˚F or below o Hot hold foods at 135˚F or above o Certain food becomes potentially hazardous once cut, cooked or packaging is opened. • Shelf Stable Foods: Foods that are NOT capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms. A product may be determined to be shelf stable by an accredited laboratory test. o No refrigeration necessary o pH 4.6 or below o Water activity (a w ) value of 0.85 or less

Farmers’ Market Organizer • Required to obtain a yearly permit which shall be prominently displayed at the organizer’s booth. • To obtain Health Department approval, the organizer must submit a signed agreement prior to opening. The agreement form can be found on our website and the following information contains: o Site manager(s) information, days and hours of operation and location o List of approved vendors selling produce, food and beverages with their business name, owner’s name and address, contact phone number, and general menu description o Map specifying the location of each food or beverage vendor o Acknowledgement that any vendor requiring Health Department approval must have obtained either a food permit license or a WCHD Certificate of Registration prior to operating a booth o Agreement to notify the Health Department of any changes or updates on the Farmers’ Market operation (Ex. major changes to any vendor’s menu)

Four types of Farmers’ Market Vendors: 1. Vendors without restrictions • Unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables (only minimally rinsed to remove visible soil) • Grains, seeds, beans and nuts (whole, unprocessed and un-sprouted) • Unpopped popcorn (kernels can be removed from the cob) • Fresh herb sprigs; dried herbs in bunches (only cut for harvesting, minimally rinsed to remove visible soil) 2.Vendors with certain restrictions • Not all vendors with restrictions are required to have their own permit. Some are covered by the organizer’s permit. Ex. Commercially prepared pre-packaged shelf-stable food products. • Concession or booth selling certain baked good products, refrigerated and/or cut fruits and vegetables, certain milk and cheese products, ice cream, shell eggs, meat and poultry, commercially pre-packaged food products, etc. • Proof of approved sources must be available at the booth at all times • If applicable, vendor’s required credentials must be available at the booth at all times

Four types of Farmers’ Market Vendors (continuation) 3. Cottage Food Vendors • According to IL. Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, Cottage Food operation means shelf stable baked goods may be produced in the kitchen of the person’s primary residence for direct sale to customers at Farmers’ Markets. Products must be sold directly to the customer by the owner or the family member. • Products other than baked goods are also approved • Examples: Certain jams, jellies and preserves, dried herbs and teas, certain fruit butters • Products cannot be sold to retail stores, restaurants, over the internet, by mail order, or to wholesalers, brokers or other food distributors who resell food. • Cottage Food Operators are required to register with the local health department yearly. The WCHD Certificate of Registration must be prominently displayed at the point of sale to avoid an inspection with a fee. • Samples must be pre-packaged. • Cut and packaged at the vendor’s home. • No label is required for each pre-packaged sample as long as there is the same properly labeled product on display so the customer can review the ingredient list.

Four types of Farmers’ Market Vendors (continuation) 4. Vendors with an IDPH Farmers’ Market Food Sampling Handler Certificate: • Information is now in the State Code. • Winnebago County’s interpretation of this code: o Vendors with a valid sampling certificate and sell only produce and/or commercially pre-packaged shelf-stable foods may sample without having to pay an additional Farmers’ Market permit. o Vendors with booth selling pre-packaged potentially hazardous foods and would like to utilize the IDPH Sampling Certificate will be licensed based on what is being sold in the booth and not what is being sampled. o IDPH Sampling Certificate is not approved for any concessions and cottage food vendors. • The IDPH Sampling Certificate and WCHD Certificate of Registration must be prominently displayed at the point of sale to avoid an inspection with a fee. • WCHD Certificate of Registration must be updated yearly

How can I find a licensed approved commissary ? • REMINDER : Approval of a licensed approved commissary is based on the vendors menu and operation on a case by case basis. 1. Facility with existing Winnebago County Health Department License o Office consultation by appointment is required o Must provide a signed WCHD Kitchen/Commissary Sharing Agreement  Form is available on our website  UPDATED YEARLY o If cooling of potentially hazardous foods or complex food preparation is involved, the vendors are required to participate in a permitting procedure to obtain their own Risk 3 commissary food permit. The commissary Sharing Agreement form is not approved for this purpose. Cooling potentially hazardous foods or complex food preparation is not approved at the market. A plan review may be required. Approval from the Building Department, Fire Department and Sanitary District is required prior to obtaining a food permit. o There must be a designated and separate space provided for equipment and food.