If I want to sell beef jerky what regulations do I have to go by?

Question

I am starting a beef jerky business and need to know what steps I should take to ensure I am legally allowed to sell beef jerky to consumers and businesses

Answer 1

The state pure food laws are probably available on-line, at least the ones you need. Most of that is state, unless you intend to sell it out of state. Then you have FDA.

But any such business needs to be checked by a competent attorney. Try to do as much of the research and documentation yourself as you can, but 15 minutes talking to an attorney who knows this kind of thing will be money well spent. And if you have done your homework, 15 minutes may well be enough. Maybe you even have a friend or relative who is a lawyer. But don't neglect having this checked by an attorney, because however helpful the on-line people from the state bureaucracy may be, it is your responsibility to comply with whatever regulations there are.

Take a look at what your competitors do, for example. It cannot be legally necessary to seal each portion in airtight packaging, because some is sold in bulk. Some is sold in large containers from which the grocer (usually small convenience store) sells a strip at a time. There are certainly labeling laws regarding your ingredients, and probably something about "nutritional information," but those have become pretty standard, and that you probably can get off the Internet. There are probably also laws about recyclable packaging. I have seen some nice local stuff (not necessarily jerky) in wide-mouth plastic jars with screw-on lids. Seems that's a pretty cost-effective way to sell a substantial amount (maybe 12 oz.) at one time, with the option to the small convenience store to sell them a strip at a time, for a profit.

I guess what I'm saying is we can give you a few hints to get you started, but really, the research project is yours. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would get approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the Agricultural society. That is if you want to sell it commercially.