Can I sell this salsa? Jan. 10 webinar gives specialty crop producers an overview of Arkansas Food Freedom Act
Under the Arkansas Food Freedom Act, producers can sell certain home-processed food items without inspection from the Arkansas Department of Health. But, which items are eligible for sale?
By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Dec. 14, 2023
Fast facts:
- Jeff Jackson of the Arkansas Department of Health will present the webinar
- Registration is online.
(534 words)
(Newsrooms: Graphic available for download)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Food Freedom Act opens increased opportunities for
entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, but those who create food and drink items
must be sure they’re legal to sell under the act.
![Graphic for the "Plan. Produce. Profit." webinar series.](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53283032350_f5e5370684_n.jpg" width="320" height="180" alt="Plan. Produce. Profit. Webinars)
The popularity of homemade goods, also known as “cottage foods,” has seen a significant
uptick in the last two decades, according to the Food Law and Policy Clinic at the Harvard Law School.
“The rising demand for locally produced food in the United States has fueled a dramatic
increase in small-scale food production in recent years,” the clinic said in its publication
“Cottage Food Laws in the United States.” “Locally produced food sales totaled at least $12 billion in 2014, up from $5 billion
in 2008, and are expected to continue to grow to $20 billion by 2019. Much of this
locally produced food is sold at farmers markets, which have also increased dramatically,
by 134 percent between 2004 and 2016.”
“Arkansas producers are able to sell certain home-processed food items to the public
without inspection from the Arkansas Department of Health,” said Jeff Jackson, public
health section chief II with the Arkansas Department of Health. “While this will present
opportunities for Arkansas producers, the details of the Arkansas Food Freedom Act
should be clearly understood to ensure that food entrepreneurs know which items are
eligible for sale and which are not.”
Act 1040 of 2021, which became known as the Arkansas Food Freedom Act, allows Arkansas residents to sell more types of homemade food and drink products in
more locations than before, and allows direct sales of certain homemade food and drink
products that do not require time or temperature controls to remain safe. Some products,
such as pickles, salsas, and canned vegetables, may require pH testing or preapproved
recipes.
Understanding the Law
On Jan. 10, Jackson will present “An Overview of the Arkansas Food Freedom Act.” The
webinar will be held at 11 a.m. Central/noon Eastern. Registration is free.
Register Now
The webinar is the second in a three-part series called “Plan. Produce. Profit,” which
provides needed information to specialty crop producers on how to operate within the
Arkansas Food Freedom Act.
The third “Plan. Produce. Profit.” webinar will be held on Feb. 14. Renee Threlfall
of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering at the Division of Agriculture will
present the webinar, titled “Creating and Processing Value-Added Food Products in
Arkansas.” Registration is available online.
The first webinar, “Liability Issues with Food Processing Under the Arkansas Food
Freedom Act,” was presented by NALC Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley. The recording
of the presentation is available online.
The National Agricultural Law Center and the University of Arkansas System Division
of Agriculture are facilitating the webinars which are designed for Arkansas specialty
crop producers.
The series is funded by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on X. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural
and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, state and federal
policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many
others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information
to the nation’s agricultural community.
The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and
works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural
Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal
access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to
participate or need materials in another format, please contact dviguet@uark.edu as
soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact:
Drew Viguet
Communications & Special Projects Coordinator
National Agricultural Law Center
dviguet@uark.edu