Assistance for Starting Home-Based Food Businesses

Are you interested in starting a food business in Maine? We can help!

Begin with Bulletin #3101, Recipe to Market — How to Start a Specialty Food Business in Maine.

Food Licenses and Maine Regulatory Information

If you are interested in obtaining your food processors license, there are three common food licenses offered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Quality Assurance and Regulations:

• Commercial (not shelf-stable foods)
• Home-Food Processor (shelf-stable foods, baked goods, without dairy-based frostings and fillings)
• Mobile Food Vendor (farmers markets)

Application for food licenses.

If you have regulatory food questions about these licenses or would like to talk to an inspector about a pre-inspection, please visit the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources for contact information.

Send your food product in for testing

For more information, visit Process and Product Review Testing.

Education

• Recipe to Market: How to Start a Specialty Food Business in Maine
• Food Industry Workshops
• Resources for Maine Food Entrepreneurs
• Fact Sheets
• Videos

Other Resources at UMaine

You may be interested in visiting the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture for more information regarding their state-of-the-art food pilot plant or other food technology services.

Funding

Could funding help you towards commercializing your food product?

Please check out the Maine Technology Institute’s Grants, as they may provide the funding you need to move forward.

Contact

If you have any questions on how UMaine can assist you with your food business, please contact us.