The difficulty of marketing a food depends on the scope of your goals
Taking a food product to market in the U.S. falls within two ranges of difficulty. Foods produced from home kitchens undergo relatively little regulation and can be quickly brought to local markets. Foods manufactured for the national retail market must be inspected on a continuous basis by food regulators. While home-based food products can lead to short-term gain, commercial food production can lead to higher revenues.
Instructions
1. Lock in the recipe and copyright it. Beyond the testing of a food product over time, food marketing starts with a good, standardized recipe. Copyright the recipe if your food product involves specialized processes and equipment, even if the list of ingredients itself is not protected by copyright law. Copyrights are public domain, so if the food has secret ingredients, do not seek copyright protection. The secret ingredient is your protection from copycats.
2. Get regulatory approval. Producing food in a licensed kitchen is the next step toward being able to market and sell it. Foods produced in home kitchens may be allowed for retail sale depending on regulations of each state's department of health. Nutritional content labels are also optional in some cases for small producers of food products out of the home, depending on state law. Most foods, even those initially designed in home kitchens, are produced in licensed commercial kitchens to accommodate state and federal regulations and inspections. These specialty kitchens can be licensed restaurants and canneries.
3. Link up with a producer. Co-packer agreements are the most common type of arrangement between a food creator and manufacturer. A co-packer is a food producer, usually in a factory setting, that has established food production, safety and labeling procedures that meet with U.S. Food and Drug Administration laws. It is common for one co-packer to have many independent contracts with different food businesses. Federal labeling and packaging rules are complex to the point that home kitchens are not able to comply with them.
4. Let the pros market your product. Contacting retailers for distribution agreements usually occurs simultaneously to or immediately after finding a co-packer for your food product. Food consultants serve as the agents of the food industry. They can take a food product to market and find production and distribution outlets within the industry. Food consultants are also instrumental in pointing new business owners to appropriate trade shows where their product can be promoted to potential wholesalers and retailers.
Tags: food product, home kitchens, Food consultants, food production, food products, Foods produced, product market