Minnesota cottage food training: what Tier 1 producers need to study
The official Minnesota MDA cottage food training is required before Tier 1 registration. Here's what's in the PDF, the Check Your Understanding quiz answers, and how pet treats fit in.
If you sell homemade food in Minnesota and expect gross annual sales under $7,665, you must complete the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Tier 1 cottage food training before registering. The official PDF is long — but the Check Your Understanding quiz answers and pet treat section are what most bakers study first.
Why this training matters
Minnesota's cottage food exemption (Minn. Stat. § 28A.152) covers non-potentially hazardous human foods sold direct-to-consumer. Tier 1 producers complete this free MDA training instead of the University of Minnesota Extension course required for higher sales tiers. The training covers allowed products, sales channels, safe handling, labeling, and — since 2021 — home-processed pet treats for dogs and cats under § 25.391.
What's in the official PDF
- Sales limits and 2021–2022 law changes ($78,000 cap, $7,665 registration fee exemption)
- Who qualifies (individual producers only)
- pH ≤ 4.6 and water activity ≤ 0.85 thresholds
- Allowed and prohibited human cottage foods
- Pet treat rules, labeling, and prohibited ingredients (CBD, animal-origin treats)
- Where you can and cannot sell (no mail order, no retail resale)
- Safe food handling, packaging, and registration steps
Study the quiz before you register
We extracted all 20 Check Your Understanding questions and answers from the official training into a free study page so you can review before taking the MDA exam. The pet treat questions are especially useful if you plan to sell dog biscuits alongside your bread.
Pet treats are a separate track inside Minnesota cottage food
- Only baked or dehydrated dog and cat treats qualify
- No hemp, CBD, or animal-origin ingredients (liver, jerky, etc.)
- Pet treat labels need producer info, date, ingredients, and the homemade/not-inspected statement — but not major allergen declarations
Where to go next
Open the full Minnesota training study guide, download the official MDA PDF, and compare against the Minnesota state cottage food page. For other states' pet treat rules, see the pet treat guidance hub.
Crosodo Blog entries are recipe and craft notes from working cottage bakers. Recipes assume working with an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — see our state directory for legal details.