Breads, Rolls and Muffins

Definition: Foods made of flour, water, and yeast or another leavening agent, mixed together and baked.

Food Safety: Breads, rolls, and muffins do not typically pose any food safety hazards. However, sourdough starters used to make Amish Friendship Bread do have unique food safety concerns. Those who have an intolerance to gluten, or have been diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease, should avoid wheat flour based products such as breads, muffins, and rolls. Click here for gluten-free baking tips or visit the links provided at the bottom of the page to learn more.

You are required to wash hands after handling shell eggs before handling other foods or equipment.

Colorado’s high altitude also poses challenges for baking and cooking. See the resources provided at the bottom of the page for more information.

Distribution Method (Expand All | Collapse All)

You are selling your product at a farmers’ market, CSA, roadside stand, or other direct to consumer outlet

Licensing:

Bread, Rolls and muffins that you produce

  • If you do not use potentially hazardous foods in your production process and you are selling wrapped baked goods you are exempt from licensing.
  • If you are using unprocessed farm products you purchased from another Colorado producer or from a wholesaler to produce your baked goods, you will also need a Farm Product Dealers License. Unprocessed farm products do not include flour, oats, or eggs but would include raw fruits and vegetables, milk and raw honey. For more information on what is considered an unprocessed farm product, consult General Licensing Requirements.

Bread, Rolls and muffins produced by someone else

  • If you are selling wrapped baked goods you are exempt from licensing but you must purchase from a licensed wholesaler, this includes buying in bulk and repackage into single servings.

If you are required to obtain a retail food establishment license, you may also need additional licensing and your processing facility may require inspection from your county health department. If you sell at farmers’ markets or other direct to consumer outlets in different counties, you should check with the health department in each county where you sell your product direct to consumers. Although not mandatory at this time, you may also register your processing facility with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Labeling: If you are selling wrapped bread, rolls or muffins you will need to follow the general labeling requirements. If you are selling unwrapped bread, rolls or muffins no label is required. If you buy individual packages in bulk, many do not have labeling on the package (may even be labeled “not for individual sale”) or the labeling is on the bulk box.  You will want to have the labeling information on hand so you can answer customer questions (source, allergens, ingredients, etc.).

Sales Tax Liability: General sales tax information.

Weights and Measures: If you choose to sell your product by weight, you must follow the Colorado weights and measures requirements. More often, these products are sold by count and therefore do not fall under regulations in this category.

You are selling your product to a store, restaurant, food cart, K-12 school, university, hospital, or other retail food establishment

Licensing:
  • To sell bread, rolls or muffins that you have produced using products you have grown, you must first register with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) as a wholesale food manufacturing facility. Once you have registered your food manufacturing business, you may be inspected by CDPHE.  Some manufacturing processes require specific certification and/or training that must be completed before you can manufacture an acidified food or process seafood products. If you are interested in doing either of these, you should first contact the Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability at (303) 692-3620 for further information and visit their page on wholesale food program information and requirements.

Note that if you are selling at farmer’s market and as a wholesaler, you will need a to obtain a retail food establishment license and register as a wholesale food manufacturer.

Labeling: General labeling requirements.

Sales Tax Liability: General sales tax information.

Weights and Measures: If you are selling your product by weight, you must follow the Colorado weights and measures requirements. If you are selling your product by some other measure, such as count,  there are no regulations in this category.

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