# Selling milk products in Michigan



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Is there anyone who sells milk products (cheese, raw or pasteurized milk, etc) off their farm or at farmers' markets in Michigan? I realize I would have to do goat shares when selling milk, but what are the requirements for processed products? I thought I needed an official Grade A processing facility (my parlor is grade A, so I do have a grade A dairy permit), but I hear about people selling cheese, too. Thought that wasn't allowed? Who can help me with some info? I am currently selling the milk in bulk, but milk prices are very low. :???


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2011)

Marion, most farmers markets here in Michigan have rules against it.. and the ones that do, you have to have the license and comply with some type of cooler. Even farm eggs must be kept in a cooler at farmers markets.. that being said, there are people that do milk shares, lots of them.. and Michigan did pass a cottage industry law allowing you to sell certain homemade food items at Farmers markets.. There is info about it on Michigans web site.. Search Cottage Industry for info.. there are labeling rules etc...Candy and baked goods are some of them.
Barb


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## Dana (Dec 7, 2009)

My friend sells the cheese that she makes at home with her goats milk at the Adrian, Mi farmer's market. I know she told me that she has to have a label that said made in a home kitchen on the product. 

I was surprised there wasn't more she had to do. I'm sure she keeps the cheese in a cooler, but I haven't been to the farmer's market where she sells.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Hmmm...I thought that sounded fishy, Dana, so I checked. Seeing as Michigan is tougher on raw milk sales than KS, I was surprised that their rules regarding the sale of dairy products at farmer's markets would be looser. They're not. Barb mentioned the cottage industry stuff. Here's what it says regarding what is NOT allowed to be produced in a home kitchen (bolding mine):



> What Food Products Are NOT ALLOWED To Be Produced In My Home? Potentially hazardous foods that require time and/or temperature control for safety are NOT ALLOWED to be produced in a home kitchen and must be produced in a licensed kitchen. Examples include:
> 
> Meat and meat products like fresh and dried meats (jerky)
> Fish and fish products like smoked fish
> ...


Here's the link: http://michigan.gov/mdard/0,1607,7-125-50772_45851_45856-256444--,00.html#ProductList Below the list (above it was a list of what IS allowed) is the requirement to put a "made in a home kitchen" label on the product, but again, that would _only_ apply to things that are already allowed, and dairy products, as you can see, are not on that list. Here in KS, if I wanted to bring cheese to the market, I would have to be a Grade A dairy AND I would have to make my cheese in a commercial kitchen. It appears that the rules in MI are similar. IOW, your friend is not following the law and could easily get into trouble.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Perhaps as in VA, the friend is not "selling" cheese but taking donations in return. There are people here that skirt the regs that way and the state can do nothing about it because it is donation based.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

_Here in KS, if I wanted to bring cheese to the market, I would have to be a Grade A dairy AND I would have to make my cheese in a commercial kitchen. It appears that the rules in MI are similar._

Yes, I believe you are right, because that is what I came up with in my research, too. I thought I'd ask the question here, though, because I DO see people selling dairy products at farmers' markets (I guess via a loophole or illegally then), but I asked her at Farmer's market in Athens, MI and apparently they know what they're doing, because they said no. :sniffle Hmmmm, wonder if I could find a commercial kitchen to share? I am going to look into that.

Fluid goat milk market is a tricky and very unsecure thing to deal with, so I would like to do something on the side to spread risk and add to the income.


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