Perils of Peddling Frozen Pasta Sauce

Q: Your recent reply to a question on importing and selling frozen paella generated some additional questions related to my plan to market a homemade pasta sauce. Do I have to send samples of the product to health officials for testing or obtain food safety permits? Are there specialty insurance agencies that insure small-scale food manufacturers? And finally, I’ve considered selling the sauce via mail order or the Internet, but it has to be frozen. How could I accomplish this?

--Joel C. Don, Trabuco Canyon

A: The easiest way for a start-up food processor to get answers about food safety requirements is to contact the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Food and Milk Program directly at (213) 881-4020. That agency, which is part of the Consumer Protection Bureau, will be able to discuss the rules related to wholesale food producers and explain which of them apply to you. Requirements vary depending on whether your product is vegetable- or meat-based. Also, new rules will take effect next January that you will need to be aware of now.

Perhaps an easier, less time-consuming alternative is to consider having your sauce produced by an established manufacturer whose operation is already in compliance with local and federal health regulations. Such an arrangement might save you a lot of time and headaches.

As for insurance, you will need product liability insurance as well as basic small-business insurance. Your insurance agent should be able to provide you with information on various policies and which would be important for you to purchase.

Selling via mail order has been successful for some food companies for many years--specialty fruit growers and high-quality meat packers, for example. However, I think there would have to be something really unique and desirable about a pasta sauce to make this a viable option for you, simply because of economies of scale.

If you are trying to sell jars of sauce on a retail basis, it will be difficult to make your operation cost-effective. Even if someone orders four jars of sauce, the cost of shipping it will probably be prohibitive, considering that consumers can purchase many different types of classic and gourmet sauces in supermarkets and specialty stores now at reasonable prices.

Selling directly to the public--whether frozen, which requires dry ice and additional cost in shipping, or processed--will probably be disproportionately costly for you. I’d suggest you stick to wholesale, especially when you’re just getting started.

--Robert Wemischner,

co-author with Karen Karp,

“Gourmet to Go: A Guide to Opening and Operating a Specialty Foods Store”

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If you have a question about how to start or operate a small business, mail it to Karen E. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016, or e-mail kklein6349@aol.com. Include your name, address and telephone number. This column is designed to answer questions of general interest. It should not be construed as legal advice.