Food Rules

Are you producing and selling foods in Illinois, or thinking about it? Then you need to know the “Food Rules” involved!

Workshops educating farmers about food regulations took place across Illinois in the winter of 2008-2009, sharing the rules that govern the production, processing, transportation and direct marketing of food products. The Land Connection and the University of Illinois Extension School collaborated to host these seminars.

The Food Rules workshops helped producers connect with the officials who oversee local foods enterprises, helping them to navigate the maze of laws at the city, county, state, and federal levels. They resulted in better communication between regulators and farmers, and led to the following summary of useful information.

Getting to Know the Food Rules

1. Start with your local county health department.
   
   
   • The over-arching message from the regulators was “We’re here to help you – talk to us before you start your project.”
     
     
   • So your first call should be to your county health department. If they don’t know the answer to your question, they will refer you to someone who does.
     
     
   • Click here for the contact information for the health departments of the five counties that hosted Food Rules Workshops.

2. Do your own homework. Materials and information presented at the Food Rules Workshops included these useful guides about direct marketing your food products.
   
   
   • The Illinois Department of Health Technical Release Bulletin #30 gives specific information about regulations affecting foods sold at farmers markets. IDPH TR Bulletin #30
     
     
   • The Direct Farm Business site of University of Illinois professor A. Bryan Endres provides online legal information for anyone interested in direct farm marketing in Illinois. http://www.directfarmbusiness.org

3. Know which agency regulates the food items you are growing or selling. Click here for a handy guide.
   
   
4. What if I want to dig into the dense legal language? Those brave enough to tackle the legalese of the regulations can visit the links below.
   
   

   • Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act

   • Sanitary Food Inspection Act (How to keep your premises up to code)

   • Grade A Pasteurized Milk and Milk Products Act (Milk Regulations for Growers, Processors and Haulers)

   • Farm Products Marketing Act (Your undisputed right to direct market your Food.)

   • Illinois Egg and Egg Products Act (All about eggs)

   • Retail Food Store Sanitation Code - Champaign County's Additions (A heap of regulations for stands that sell food other than fresh veggies, but not meals.)

The “Food Rules” workshops were generously funded by USDA Risk Management Education, and share information about regulations from federal, state and local entities, including the FDA, USDA, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Agriculture and local health departments.