Cottage Food Q& A

 A:  Extracts are not allowed as a cottage food product, mainly because of its alcohol content. An example would be vanilla extract. Normally, it's made from vanilla beans and alcohol (normally vodka but others are used). For vanilla extract to be called pure, the FDA requires that the solution contains a minimum of 35% alcohol and 100g of vanilla beans per liter. For MN cottage foods to contain alcohol (flavorings, candy filling, wine jelly, etc.) the final alcohol content cannot be more than one-half of one percent by volume. These types of products need to be tested at a commercial lab for alcohol content. If a product contains more than one-half of one percent by volume, the MN Department of Public Safety handles the regulations/requirements.