01/20/2026
🍎 Montana Local Food Choice Act: What You Need to Know!
In April 2021, Montana passed the Local Food Choice Act (SB 199) to make it easier for Montanans to buy and sell homemade food directly.
This law was designed to:
✅ Support local agriculture and home-based food producers
✅ Increase access to fresh, local food
✅ Encourage direct sales from producer to consumer
What Does This Mean for Consumers? 🧐
👉You can purchase homemade food directly from the person who made it—whether at their home, farm, ranch, or traditional community social events like farmers markets or potlucks.
👉These foods are NOT licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected under official regulations.
👉You must be an informed end consumer, meaning you understand the product is homemade and not regulated like store-bought items.
✅What’s Allowed?
Non-potentially hazardous foods like jams, jellies, baked goods, dried fruits, and mixes.
Certain dairy products from small dairies (with strict testing requirements).
❌What’s NOT Allowed?
Meat products (including products like chicken stock)
Wild game
Interstate sales (must stay within Montana)
Sales through retail food establishments or wholesalers
💡Know before you buy: Homemade foods under this law are not inspected for safety. If you have concerns about a product, contact local Sanitarians at CCHD, the MT Department of Livestock or Department of Health & Human Services.
Local info: https://ow.ly/HNKP50XYgGU
For more information check out the following resources:
🔗https://ow.ly/5H9R50XYgGW
🔗https://ow.ly/zUQl50XYgGV
🔗https://ow.ly/vv1f50XYgGY
