For those of you who sell packaged goods, do you provide a label indicating the ingredients? I'm up for inspection next week, and the inspector said I will need to have labels on my cookies/cupcakes that I plan to sell at the local farmers market. Interestingly enough, I've never seen other vendors provide this at the market. Just wondering what you all do?

it depends on what state you're in and what the laws are.
I'm in Ohio and operate out of my home under cottage food laws and I'm required to list ingredients for all my products. I have different labels for different things, cakes, cookies, cake truffles, etc. I print them out on avery address labels and stick them to the box of the item being sold. So I don't put them on each individual cookie, just on the box the cookies are in.

When I'm selling at a farmer's market type of place where I may sell cookies individually off of a platter, or unwrapped cupcakes/etc. I just make a sign with the ingredients listed for each item, this way if someone has an allergy they know what is in them!!

Those are great ideas KHalstead. I plan on selling at my local Farmer's Market and putting up a sign or using those labels is a great idea. My son has major nut allergies so I'm always looking at ingredient labels when I buy baked goods locally at stores or at the market. If people don't put on a label I won't buy it, too risky.

And speaking of allergies - you also want to put on there that you are using nuts and other allergens in your facility if you do. Some people are so allergic, that may make a difference - it certainly reduces your liability if anything was to happen.

Tobias

I put a sign up and it's also on my labels that reads:

If you have ANY allergies to food of any kind do NOT consume this product. Product was produced in an area that has had peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, and milk products in use.



I do NOT want to mess around with allergies!!!

in my county if I sell at a local craft show or farmers market I have to have a label. if I just sell from my business I don't. It makes no sense to me.... but i'm not the one who makes the rules.

Our's states that if it's prepackaged AND self-serve, the ingredients and nutrition label must be affixed to product packaging. If they pick out what they want ("may I get 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry, 2 peanut butter...." even if they only choose one item...) and those selected are then packaged, no label is required. However, it is in one's best interest, IMMHO...regardless of whether it's required or not, to list all ingredients and highlight the most common allergens (I use red print for those items) to cover one's own ass.

Yesterday, I decided to go to a sub shop I'd never been to before. Big menu board...and a little menu board directly in front of me...both listed all the additions to the sandwiches (beef, sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms...whatever). "May I get a _____---large---on italian herb please?"
"Do you want sauteed onions and mushrooms?" Looking back at it to verify for myself that that is what it comes with, "Yes, please...whatever is supposed to come on it." Then, I lean in and ask, "Do people really order that without the sauteed onions and mushrooms?" (there's another sandwich that is just like it without those items and it's called something else...exactly like it). She said, quite snottily too, "I have to ask because some people are allergic and they don't know what comes on it." I was like, WTF??? It states it all over the place what is on that freakin' sandwich...I reckon it can't be overstated/overspecified/whatever...

The only time my stuff is at a "market" of any sort is at bake sales. I do put a label that lists common allergens, just to be on the safe side (wheat, nuts, milk).

I label my packaged cookies with a ingredient label but I also attach a "May contain Nut product" label on the front of all my cakes boxes and also have this listed on my website in several areas.I don't add any nut product to any of my baking but just to be on the safe side I do label that it may contain it in which anyone who is allergic should not consume.