Selling jams and cookies from home

[annawalks]

Hi All
I am new to this forum and would really like some informative advice.
I work from home and I would like to start selling some home-made jams, cooking sauces and cookies for some extra income. I'm not looking to make a significant amount of money (some, would be nice) because it's just a hobby that I enjoy and wouldn't mind selling some of the stuff to other housewives in the area.
I will distribute flyers in the my neighbourhood about the handmade food items I make but do I need a license for this?
What are the implications of getting sued and getting into trouble because someone has fallen sick (god forbid but who knows, it might happen) from eating the stuff I make?

Any help or insight is much appreciated. I would really like to do this for myself. I'm very bored just sitting at home all day. I would like to feel useful and make some extra pocket money (not my husband's) doing something I enjoy.
A.W

[Name Deleted]

Hi All
I am new to this forum and would really like some informative advice.
I work from home and I would like to start selling some home-made jams, cooking sauces and cookies for some extra income. I'm not looking to make a significant amount of money (some, would be nice) because it's just a hobby that I enjoy and wouldn't mind selling some of the stuff to other housewives in the area.
I will distribute flyers in the my neighbourhood about the handmade food items I make but do I need a license for this?
What are the implications of getting sued and getting into trouble because someone has fallen sick (god forbid but who knows, it might happen) from eating the stuff I make?

Any help or insight is much appreciated. I would really like to do this for myself. I'm very bored just sitting at home all day. I would like to feel useful and make some extra pocket money (not my husband's) doing something I enjoy.
A.W

Ive never heard of anyone needing a licence but you need to consider that you are selling to the public and there may be hygiene concerns re cleanliness. I would probably run it past the health agency (Koseicho) if you are selling food products (stall vendors need a licence if they want to sell food on the street)

Its probably unlikely you will get sued unless you give someone food poisoning in which case you will likely need to cover any hospital or medical bills and there is always the issue of compensation

In Japan its common to apologise as quickly as possible and accept responsibility until proven otherwise, even if you feel its not your fault. It doesnt look good if you shirk blame or avoid responsibility.

What you might want to consider is having tasting sessions and then offer to sell whatever it is you are offering, perhaps a free sample.

PS I used to sell herbal weight loss products through MLM with a money back guarantee and if people got sick or felt ill they could get a refund.

[Derukugi]

I know a German guy who lives out in the boondocks and has hooked up with bakery in town to sell his home-made jams.
Don`t know if the deal between the baker and him is on or off the books, but the selling to the public happens from the bakery.
Maybe that model would work for you too.

[Berunosuke]

Hi there. I`am the German Derukugi is talking about. I`am making Fruit Sauces, Jams, Pickles, Relish etc. since a few years now.

*I will distribute flyers in the my neighbourhood about the handmade food items I make but do I need a license for this?*

No, not for distributing the flyers or making the jam.

*What are the implications of getting sued and getting into trouble because someone has fallen sick (god forbid but who knows, it might happen) from eating the stuff I make?*

Very low. If somebody is mad at you, they can do something.

The local hoken center （保険センタ）is responsible for watching productions like this. The only condition for doing jam or other edible stuff is the label you have to attach with

Name -> 品名
Ingredience -> 原材料
Volume or Weight -> 内容量　g or ml
best before date -> 賞味期限
how to keep -> 保存方法
Maker ->　製造者

You can check this if you have a look at labels in some shop s or supermarkets. The local hoken Center has instruction leaflets for all kind of edible stuff like this. Since the local baachans around my place are making umeboshi and other kind of local specialities, they have to print labels for selling it at the local bussan center.

If you have more questions, just ask.

[Betting]

You can also go to the JETRO site, they'll have all the stuff in english. Also the Shinjuku Tocho has a section that will be able to help you out a lot http//www.tokyo-business.jp

[kansaibills]

Berunosuke

How do you promote your jams, pickles...? How were you able to get your product in a bakery.
Which item that you make is one of your favourites?

[Hijinx]

What is "Ingredience?"

[Berunosuke]

What is "Ingredience?"

Well, that might be ingredients. Not everybody is an english teacher.

How do I promote? Not much. First of all I wanted to eat most of the stuff myself. Then came the first step, when friends wanted to have it and after that its more the word of mouth thing. The bakery is run by friends and they make tennen kobo 天然酵母　bread, which goes very good with much of my stuff. First I was not into jam but one year I got about 300 kg nashi from a farmer and had to do something with that. Most of the stuff I get for free or I grow myself. Last year was pretty much Apple Sauce.
Most of the shops take 30％ and you can adjust your price for this. I don`t do promotions, its time consuming and because the staff working in those shops can talk much better to sell something. Also I got 2 small restaurants, more kissaten eateries, which use my pickles etc. and sell them on the way out.
My favourites are Zuccini Relish, Cucumber Pickles, Bamboo Pickles and Nashi Fruit Sauce. Zuccini and Cucumber I grow myself, bamboo is growing around here and Nashi I get for free. I`am working with pumpkins to make some kind of mix jam out of them. One good one is Pumpkin Batter from the Smoky Mountains, "A Taste of the Smokys" I call it. The natives have to get used to it while eating the bread.

[flux]

Hi All
I am new to this forum and would really like some informative advice.
I work from home and I would like to start selling some home-made jams, cooking sauces and cookies for some extra income. I'm not looking to make a significant amount of money (some, would be nice) because it's just a hobby that I enjoy and wouldn't mind selling some of the stuff to other housewives in the area.
I will distribute flyers in the my neighbourhood about the handmade food items I make but do I need a license for this?
What are the implications of getting sued and getting into trouble because someone has fallen sick (god forbid but who knows, it might happen) from eating the stuff I make?

Any help or insight is much appreciated. I would really like to do this for myself. I'm very bored just sitting at home all day. I would like to feel useful and make some extra pocket money (not my husband's) doing something I enjoy.
A.W

I have no answers to your inquires, however I would love homemade Jam and cookies (apple pie my Kingdome for real apple pie). I am sure you will find more than a few customers on this forum. Let me know.

[annawalks]

Well, that might be ingredients. Not everybody is an english teacher.

How do I promote? Not much. First of all I wanted to eat most of the stuff myself. Then came the first step, when friends wanted to have it and after that its more the word of mouth thing. The bakery is run by friends and they make tennen kobo 天然酵母　bread, which goes very good with much of my stuff. First I was not into jam but one year I got about 300 kg nashi from a farmer and had to do something with that. Most of the stuff I get for free or I grow myself. Last year was pretty much Apple Sauce.
Most of the shops take 30％ and you can adjust your price for this. I don`t do promotions, its time consuming and because the staff working in those shops can talk much better to sell something. Also I got 2 small restaurants, more kissaten eateries, which use my pickles etc. and sell them on the way out.
My favourites are Zuccini Relish, Cucumber Pickles, Bamboo Pickles and Nashi Fruit Sauce. Zuccini and Cucumber I grow myself, bamboo is growing around here and Nashi I get for free. I`am working with pumpkins to make some kind of mix jam out of them. One good one is Pumpkin Batter from the Smoky Mountains, "A Taste of the Smokys" I call it. The natives have to get used to it while eating the bread.

Thank you all for replying very kindly (and not flaming) to my questions.
Berunosuke, what a great idea. I agree with you that the suff I intend to make and sell is what I want to eat myself but can't really get enough of here. It would also be nice to share my nana's recipes around with the local people in my neighbourhood. I'm happy to make this a hobby/ small scale production.
You mentioned the hoken center for instructions on making this. Could I just trouble you once more on what specifically these labels instructions are called? Thanks for writing the words down in Japanese because I actually do not speak Japanese very well but the new words you have written, have helped.

Have a good day, everyone.

[Berunosuke]

Anna, I don`t think that anybody from the hoken Center will be interested in your small scale production. I produce around 2000 glasses every year and 90% is sold in other shops and not by myself. I have to think about the liability of the shops side and thats why I put labels on the glasses according to law or JAS Standards. But you can go to the

市保健所　and there to the

食品　環境衛生課　shokuhin kankyo eisei ka

and ask for instructions for making 瓶詰　缶詰 binzume kanzume

They will give you a piece of paper in Japanese. They are not much interested in small scale production, but they will getting interested, if you wanne use a maschine for sealing the cap or something else.
If you live in a small town, the local hoken Center of the yakuba does not have a shokuhin kankyo eisei ka, thats located in the next bigger city.
I don`t know if its worth going through all the trouble, if you don`t understand Japanese. You could get some Japanese housewifes interested in English Language Cooking Lessons and start from there. As a group it might be much more fun to sell home made stuff on weekends, free markets, matsuri etc. For that you don`t need any instructions, because most of the stuff will be sold on the spot and does not need a best before date on it.
Well, hope I could be of some help

[donpaulo]

I think its great that you want to start a business... I would humbly point out that the food business has all the traditional possible failing points of a normal business PLUS food spoilage. Its not something I would consider doing, however more power to you for getting out there and soliciting advice.

I would suggest you head down to your local city hall and ask about the food consumption legalities.

If you have extra time on your hands think about doing something like ebay or yahoo auctions. You simply turn over products without producing it yourself. I know a few folks with extra time who do this and make a profit.

[donpaulo]

just as an FYI the ratio of lawyers in Japan is incredibly high, so on the basis of that alone the chances of getting "sued" is unlikely.
However insurance could cover you assuming your business can pay for the insurance bill.

[Chami]

try the Yahoo auction for the promotion.Good luck.

[Chami]

try the (Japanese) Yahoo auction for the promotion.Good luck.