Know-How Exchange : Other

In the United States, the health and food licensing laws vary state-to-state (the FDA sets national guidelines as well). Contact your state and local health agencies for information on permits and laws that apply to you. You'll also want to have insurance on your business in case someone should get sick from eating your food.

As for supplies, you can search online for "glass bottles", etc. Labels can be printed by your local printer (or ordered online) and hand-attached.

As for preservatives & additives, this would be part of the recipe itself.

You might want to sell your homemade sauce to grocery stores, they might not want to buy them...until you get approval of the FDA or equivalent.
Basically, food for sale can only be prepared on premises registered. These regulations provide that the premises must be used exclusively for the purpose of preparing food. A domestic kitchen does not meet this requirement as it can be used for other domestic purposes.

You most certainly be required to go through a Food Safety Programme (F.S.P) based in many countries on H.A.C.C.P.(HAZARD ANALYSIS CRITICAL CONTROL POINT ) where you will be asked to identify and rate specific hazards and identify ways of controlling them. But it's not the end. You also can be asked to prove that your suppliers have F.S.Ps that show they are in control of their products, setting specifications/standards for all goods and materials supplied to you....a long process!

You will find valuable information there:
https://www.fda.gov/
https://www.fda.gov/opacom/7approvl.html
https://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml

You have a lot to consider. First off, you won't be able to produce enough in your kitchen to sell to grocery stores. Grocery Stores are not easy to get into either. You have to have a lot in place. There are lots of specialty food product companies making great profits without the grocery store.
I would have some sort of distribution/sales plan in place before investing in a kitchen. If you don't know where/how to sell your product, why make it?
Your local/state health dept. probably have the requirements on line.
If you have to produce your product in a commercial kitchen, you will probably have to go thru some sort of training & get some sort of health license. You can rent commercial kitchen space, but look out for hidden costs/fees.
Preservatives & additives are hard to find in small quantities. They don't want to deal with small companies. YOu could try local bakery/food supply places, they might be able to tell you where to go. Even try someplace like Sysco. They offer a lot of products.
If you produce the product yourself, you would never get into a grocery or specialty store without insurance.
With all the costs of getting started you may find that even though the cost per item is slightly more with a contract manufacturer, your cost to get started may be a lot less and they would probably have the sources for the preservatives and everything else your product needs. If you go with a contract manufacturer your time can be spent getting your product to market instead of the day to day making of the product. YOu have to have a lot of time available to both make and distribute the product all by yourself.
A contract manufacturer should also have insurance, thus your insurance costs should be less.
You can sell your product thru specialty stores and thru a wide variety of different shows you yourself do.
Make sure your product is unique and desireable. If your thinking that your product is better than the very popular one thats already selling you will probably always be viewed as the generic copy if you try to communicate that you are the same only better. Even if there are similar products out, make sure your packaging/message sets you apart. Just having a better product isn't enough, people need to feel there is something different/better about yours.
If you do go through the process of figured out the legal requirements and getting set up, you could try
www.mckernan.com for bottles. They will send samples & they sell overstock, so their price per bottle is about 1/2 to 3/4 less than elsewhere, but you have to spend at least $500.
For labels, eventually you want to have them professionally printed, but I'm a big fan of onlinelabels.com Even if you get your labels professionally designed, it might be good to start with a label on your lazer printer to see the reaction of pontential customers before you invest in a printer.
I also suggest that you try to go to some specialty food or food & gift shows. Trade shows usually have some
seminars on how to market your product etc.
If you think your product would make a good gift, you might do better in the specialty/gift market. Try looking also for trade magazines for the industry. They usually have helpful articles and list upcoming events.

Hello,

You need to check with your state or country for permits and licenses. The health department will want to inspect your kitchen. In the USA it is the FDA. The FDA has a good website for proven recipes for canning food. I too jar/can my own sauce. I use Ball products. Labels can be printed by your locate print shop or you can do it on your computer. Print shop labels will look more professional.

You will also need insurance!!