An Update on the Dried Herb Question from the Growing Food Business Workshop Series.

Earlier this summer, AERO was fortunate to interview Lindy Dewey at SpiritWorks Herb Farm and Healing Arts Sanctuary. Lindy owns a successful commercial dried herb business south of Whitefish, in the midst of a beautiful forest and garden.  You can read the SunTimes article, here.

Lindy attended the Growing Food Business Workshop series AERO put on in early 2016, where Montana’s recent Cottage Food Law changes were discussed. Some specifications were vague, so AERO began working with Department of Public Health and Human Services officials and Flathead County sanitarians to determine the requirements for commercial herb-drying.

After several weeks of follow up emails and discussions, AERO has compiled a document with Ed Evanson of Food and Consumer Safety, DPPHS to clarify Dried Herbs and the Cottage Food Law.  The quick summary is dried herbs are exempt at retail, so there is no need for cottage food registration.  If wholesaling, they need a license.  In either case the goal is a pathogen free product.

Please visit the “Growing Food Businesses” forum at www.mtfoodeconomy.org for more information, or you can find the document, here.