When deciding whether to sell food on Shef, it's important for you to understand the laws in your city and state. As a marketplace, we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide useful links and information that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Oregon. This list is not exhaustive and there may be additional requirements or considerations based on your individual circumstances.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture oversees home based cooking laws. Oregon permits the sale of certain food prepared in homes in a few different ways. One method is by obtaining a domestic kitchen license either as a domestic kitchen bakery or a domestic kitchen food processor. The domestic kitchen license permits the sale of certain baked goods including bread, rolls, cakes, pies, doughnuts, cookies, etc. and the domestic kitchen food processor license permits the sale of other items like jams and jellies. See Oregon Revised Statute 616. The Department of Agriculture’s requirements for domestic kitchens can be found here.

In 2016, Oregon enacted a new cottage food law (SB 320) which has fewer requirements than the domestic kitchen license but comes with additional restrictions. Oregon’s cottage food law allows people to produce certain baked goods and confectionary items in their home kitchens and sell them directly to consumers without having to obtain a food establishment license or undergo an inspection from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. An FAQ with helpful information on this law can be found here.

Sellers on Shef.com are required to follow all state and local rules. If you would like to sell food items that are not covered by these laws, you are required to cook out of a commercial kitchen or other legal facility.
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If you determine you need commercial kitchen space based on the regulations in your jurisdiction and your menu, there are many spaces for rent, including but not limited to a list we maintain here. If you need additional referrals, please email help@shef.com. Please note, we can't verify the commercial kitchens we refer will meet your specific needs so be sure to do your own diligence before partnering with any location.

Maintaining the safety of the Shef community is our number one priority. All shefs are required to pass an accredited food safety certification exam and must maintain minimum quality ratings. The Oregon Health Authority oversees laws related to food handling requirements and a popular provider of food handler permits in Oregon can be found here.