Knowledgebase
Log Grown Mushroom Sales in Retail Stores #786682
Asked April 13, 2022, 9:49 AM EDT
Berrien County Michigan
Expert Response
The initial question is that I would like information on what inspection/certification is required to sell the actual edible mushrooms. The list consists of a number of varieties of shiitake, oyster, lions mane, maitake and chestnut mushrooms.
If you can answer the question of requirements/certifications for selling of the inoculated logs that would be a plus.
Thank you.
The following Q&A was taken from MDARDs website:
Can I produce and sell wild or cultivated mushrooms?
Cultivated mushrooms are treated as a produce item and are regulated as are other Raw Agricultural Commodities. No license is required if cultivated mushrooms are offered for sale without further processing.
Wild mushrooms are required to be collected or identified by a certified expert and are labeled according to the requirements under that program. View information about becoming a certified wild mushroom expert.
Wild mushrooms collected by a recognized expert (see above link) can be offered for sale without a license if they are not further processed. Wild mushrooms can be further processed into a non-potentially hazardous (non-temperature controlled for safety) food, such as dried mushrooms, by the recognized expert and offered as a cottage food if the other requirements for cottage foods are met (e.g., preparation in a home kitchen, labeling requirements, safe food handling, etc.).
Thank you for the above answer..
Is there a difference between farmers market sales and sales of cultivated mushrooms to retail stores that provide fresh food sales? Please advise if I should direct this question to another entity, and if so, please advise which entity that may be.
I asked Phil Tocco, an Extension Educator in Preharvest Food Safety, to weigh in on this. Below is his response:
Hi There,
If you sell less than
$25,000 in all produce you are not REQUIRED to meet FEDERAL food
safety guidelines. Buyers may have requirements like a food safety audit that
you would need to pay for as a precondition of sale. If you are over
$25,000 in all produce sales and less than $500,000 in all FOOD sales, you
may be eligible for an exemption to the federal rules. Exemptions kick in if
more than 50% of your produce goes direct to consumer (ie. selling directly to
a grocery store and not to a store through a broker or distribution
center) Again, a buyer might still require you to have an audit,
but audits are not laws. If you're even close to these thresholds, it might be
worth sitting down with a lawyer to determine your actual status. I am not a
lawyer. This is meant purely for your information and does not constitute
legal advice to you.
