Selling maple syrup in Missouri

There is no state license or permit: the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says "The State of Missouri does not license/permit food processors and there is no fee for routine inspections." What changes is inspection. Direct sales: DHSS's farmers market guidance says the Missouri Food Code lets non-potentially-hazardous foods made in a home or uninspected kitchen be sold at farmers markets if the seller is the producer (or a household family member), sales are only to the end consumer, and the product is labeled as made in a kitchen not subject to inspection — and it names maple syrup, honey and sorghum as foods that "may also be made in an uninspected home kitchen." Wholesale: DHSS's FAQ answers "Can I sell my honey, maple syrup and/or sorghum in a retail store?" with yes, "when they are inspected and found to comply with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulations"; the DHSS Manufactured Food Program does the inspection, roughly once a year, under 19 CSR 20-1.040, which adopts the federal rule 21 CFR 117. Missouri's cottage food statute (RSMo 196.298) covers only baked goods, canned jams or jellies and dried herbs, so maple syrup isn't a statutory "cottage food" — the home-kitchen allowance comes from the Food Code and DHSS's reading of it. Local public health agencies may adopt retail rules stricter than the state's, so check with the agency where you sell.

Yes for direct sales: DHSS says honey, sorghum and maple syrup "may also be made in an uninspected home kitchen" and sold at farmers markets when the conditions above are met (non-potentially-hazardous, not a low-acid canned or acidified food, sold by the producer to the end consumer, labeled). For wholesale, the same kitchen or sugarhouse must pass a DHSS GMP inspection; DHSS lists what it expects of a processing facility — safe water (public or a well that tests negative for coliform and E. coli), proper wastewater disposal, a dedicated handwashing sink in the production room, and a way to clean and sanitize equipment, usually a three-compartment sink — and University of Missouri Extension reports producers citing the cost of a compliant kitchen as the reason they turned down retail accounts.

We found no Missouri maple grading or density law in the sources scanned (RSMo 196.298, DHSS's manufactured-food and farmers market guidance, 19 CSR 20-1). University of Missouri Extension's maple marketing guide calls grading "a voluntary step" and points to the USDA grades, with Grade A at 66–68.9% solids. The federal minimum of 66% soluble solids applies (see the national notes).

Syrup grades explained · check your density

• ✓For home-kitchen syrup sold directly to consumers: a statement that the food was made in a kitchen not subject to inspection — MU Extension's example label uses "Not state inspected" (a sign at the stand serves for unpackaged foods)
• ✓The name of the product ("maple syrup")
• ✓Farm or business name and address
• ✓Contents weight or volume
• ✓DHSS says packaged foods "must be labeled according to the code" — federal label rules for identity, net quantity, ingredients and responsibility apply (see the national notes)
• ✓Optional per MU Extension: production date or batch number, and "Refrigerate after opening"

Farmers markets and farm stands: allowed from an uninspected home kitchen under the conditions above, selling only to the end consumer; DHSS's guidance is written for farmers markets and says to check with the local public health agency for additional requirements. Retail stores, restaurants and other resale: allowed once your operation has been inspected and found to comply with GMP by the DHSS Manufactured Food Program (no license or fee). DHSS's materials don't address online orders or shipping; the cottage food statute's in-state-only internet rule applies to cottage foods, not syrup. See the national notes for federal requirements before shipping across state lines.

Direct-sale home producers must keep the food non-potentially-hazardous and not low-acid canned or acidified; DHSS can still investigate foodborne illness. Processors selling for resale are inspected against 19 CSR 20-1.040, which adopts 21 CFR 117 (current good manufacturing practice): facility construction, plumbing, water, pest control and operational controls, with routine inspections about once a year. We found no Missouri maple-specific equipment, lead or bottling-temperature rule.