Other Vegetables

Find out if you are covered by the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule at www.coproducesafety.org.

Definition:

  • Tubers: Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction. The most common edible tuber is the potato.
  • Bulbs: A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy. Common edible bulbs include garlic and onion.
  • Root Vegetables: Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. Root vegetables include radish, carrot, beet, and parsnip.
  • Tomato: The tomato is a savory, typically red, edible fruit, from the plant Solanum lycopersicum.
  • Pepper: Peppers are tender, warm-season vegetables. Many varieties exist, but two main types, sweet peppers and hot peppers, are commonly eaten.
  • Squash: Squashes generally refer to species of the genus Cucurbita native to Mexico and Central America.  Squashes may be classified as summer or winter.
  • Corn: Also called maize, corn is a popular warm season vegetable and grain crop.

Food Safety: For more information on best practices for safe production, harvesting, and transporting to market, please see the Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) section. Foodborne illness outbreaks have been associated with whole vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, but steps can be taken to reduce the risk of contamination through the use of GAPs.  Food safety issues may also arise if the soil is contaminated by manure containing harmful pathogens or irrigated with contaminated water sources. Because the edible portions of tubers, bulbs, and root vegetables are in direct contact with the soil, minimizing potential sources of microbial contamination pre- and post-harvest is essential. Refer to the related links listed below for more information regarding commodity specific guidelines.

If you are planning to freeze or can vegetables, please refer to the fact sheets (see below related links) for more information on processing or preserving vegetables and food safety.

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: If selling vegetables that you have grown, no specific licensing requirements. Whole uncut fresh fruits or vegetables are considered raw agricultural products and are exempt from licensing requirements of the Colorado Retail Food Protection Act. Samples of these products may be offered to consumers by vendors that are not licensed as retail food establishments and, therefore, those vendors are not required to comply with the provisions of the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations. If a vendor is selling only uncut fruit and vegetables, the vendor is exempt from retail food establishment licensure even if offering samples.If you are selling vegetables that you have purchased directly from a Colorado grower or from a wholesaler, you will need a Farm Product Dealers License.Labeling: No specific labeling requirements. Unpackaged, single ingredient foods like fruits and vegetables do not need labels.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. Product might also be sold by count or bunch, refer to the fruits and vegetables section of weights and measures for guidelines.

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

Licensing: If you are selling products that you have grown, no specific licensing requirement for selling whole raw agricultural products in the wholesale market. If you are selling products that you have purchased directly from a Colorado grower or from a wholesaler, you will need a Farm Product Dealers License.Labeling: The state does not require specific labels, however your buyer might have specific requirements. Check with your buyer for product identification and traceability 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. Products might also be sold by volume or count, refer to the fruits and vegetables section of weights and measures for guidelines.

Value Added Products: Frozen, canned, dried, or other prepared food items.

Related Links: