I want to sell a new salad dressing but don't know where to start? Should I call the USDA?

Answer 1

NO!

Although you will need to determine the nutritional content and be compliant with the disclosures, your first goal should be to determine "Who are my customers? How much would they pay for my dressing? Why would they buy my dressing? What makes it unique or different? How competitive is this market? Is it a commodity market? Who would invest in the machinery to produce this product? What do I need to do to be legally compliant and the Federal, State and Local level? Who is the best producer for this product? How will I maintain quality control? How will I find an attorney and CPA to help protect this process? If I produce it on my own, where will I get a work force, what city should it be in, what qualities and skills will my workers need?"

And likely this is just scratching the surface.