I’m interested in selling my cooked hot sauce locally in Oregon. I know of a commercial kitchen I could use, but I’m mainly wondering about the food preservation side. What should be my first step?
There are a few possible paths for bringing a hot sauce to market safely and legally. The right path depends on your recipe, how the sauce is made and the type of business you plan to operate.
Your first step should be to contact a food safety specialist at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, which regulates many processed food products in Oregon, including hot sauce. ODA can help you understand what license or process may be required for your specific product.
If your sauce is shelf-stable
If your sauce is made by cooking vegetables, such as peppers or onions, with vinegar and spices and bottling it for shelf-stable storage, it may fall under rules for acidified foods.
This process can include:
- Sending a sample of your product for pH testing
- Having your recipe reviewed by a process authority
- Attending a Better Process Control School
- Making sure your commercial kitchen or facility is properly licensed for this type of production
Other possible situations
Some hot sauces may fall into different categories. For example, a fermented hot sauce with no added vinegar or acid may follow a different review process.
If you are growing the produce you use in the sauce, you may also want to ask ODA whether any licensing exemptions apply.
Food processing rules can be complicated, so it is best to contact ODA early, before investing too much time or money in packaging, labels or production plans.
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