Food safety is truly everyone’s business—farmers, value-added food producers, food hub managers and workers, and consumers. Everyone in the food system needs to work collaboratively, not only to keep our food safe, but also our food systems operating and communities fed. Your first stop for Food Safety Questions should be: the Alaska State Division of Environmental Health FOOD SAFETY & SANITATION PROGRAM

The Food Safety & Sanitation Program’s mission is to protect public health at regulated food, seafood, and public facilities. Our vision is to collaboratively work with these facilities to prevent illness, injury, and loss of life caused by unsafe sanitary practices.

Search for the office contact in your community here: Food Safety & Sanitation Program Contacts by Location. You can also call 87-SAFE-FOOD (877-233-3663) to find your contact.

 

Planning to serve food at a farmers market, fair, carnival, festival, bazaar, public exhibition, promotional event, potluck or political event? These are examples of Temporary Food Services. If you advertise the event to the general public with flyers, banners, newspaper articles or by other means, it is a Temporary Food Service.

• Take a look at our Guide to Operating a Temporary Food Service.
• Use this application for a temporary food service permit if it applies to your market or business, and find more information on temporary food service here.

Egg Guidelines & Applications:

• Egg Sales in Alaska – Alaska Food Safety & Sanitation Program (DEC)
• Safe Egg Handling Guidelines (UAF Cooperative Extension)
• Egg Permit Application (Anchorage Municipality)

COTTAGE FOOD: Alaska Food Code regulations allow the sale of non-potentially hazardous (does not require temperature control for safety) foods directly to the consumer without a permit if certain conditions are met. Do you have cottage food vendors at your market? Make sure you are up-to-date on those regulations. Resources for Cottage Food Businesses:

• Choosing and using a pH meter for food products
• Guide to Operating a Successful Home-Based Food Business
• Harvesting Non-Timber Forest Products (DNR)
  • Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP) are generally defined as products derived from biological resources. Some examples include mushrooms, berries, bark, burls, conks, cones, boughs, diamond willow, landscaping transplants, and sap.
• Made In Alaska Logo Requirements
• More resources (DEC)
• Do your products not fall under COTTAGE FOOD exemptions? The DEC can also help you locate a DEC permitted kitchen for your food business to utilize if needed.

For the most up-to-date information on cottage foods in Alaska, check the Division of Environmental Health (DEC) website here. The Anchorage municipality offers its own guidance on cottage food licensing. The Alaska Small Business Development Center also has information on the Anchorage Health Department Cottage Food Permit Process.

 

Check these websites regularly, as regulations can and do change often.