Can I sell this??? – By the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services Division

A question that frequently comes up when dealing with people across the state is, “Can I sell this?” The answer to this question isn’t always an easy one. In fact, it is very dependent on what is being sold/donated and who/where they’re trying to sell it. Different foods and circumstances require different answers and safety protocols. The reason for this is the rules and regulations at the state and federal level surrounding food safety and maintaining the integrity of our food supply.

Food safety not only protects individuals and businesses in Wyoming, it also protects our industry. The past century or more of food safety science has made our food supply one of the safest in the world. The knowledge gained about cross-contamination, temperature controls, safe handling and more have created an extensive base of knowledge around what it takes to keep food safe. Our food inspection programs at the federal and state levels utilize these science-based findings to help protect consumers, businesses and the industry through inspection and education throughout the year.

In Wyoming, there are a variety of different programs that deal with food safety through the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. These include the state meat program, manufactured foods program, food safety program, and diary program to name a few. Each of these programs follow rules and regulations that are designed to help ensure the safety of the food supply in Wyoming.

Each of these programs are designed to not only protect consumers of these products, but they also protect the agriculture industry in Wyoming. Whenever there is a foodborne illness outbreak, it can negatively impact the agriculture industry. For example, when there is a national outbreak associated with a specific item, the sales and confidence in that item go down. This can have drastic impacts on the industry as a whole like significant economic losses for producers through lower market demand. We’ve seen this in the past with leafy greens, cantaloupes, chicken, and numerous other commodities. When people get sick, it hurts agriculture. These programs help reduce and limit the frequency of these potential problems  

With that said, not everything requires inspection to be sold. Under the Wyoming Food Freedom Act, the ability to sell certain items directly to end consumers is available and utilized by entrepreneurs across the state. But the Wyoming Food Freedom act has its limits on what you’re allowed to sell.

So when the question of, “Can I sell this arises,” the easiest way to know is to get in contact with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services division to talk it through. Our goal is to help you move forward with technical assistance and education while continuing to protect the consumers of Wyoming and the Agriculture industry as a whole.