Serve another round of your favorite drink.

A cottage food operation may sell home prepared chilled food and drinks if the product or product ingredients are not on the prohibited list.

• Fresh-pressed juices are allowed but may be subject to Federal regulations in addition to State regulations specific to juice. Labeling regulations for fresh-pressed juice can be found in here: U.S. FDA Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 101.17(g).
• Unpasteurized juice must be bottled and labeled at production in your home kitchen and include a warning label:
  
  WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.
   
• On-site fresh pressed juice (i.e. made to order at a farmers market), is not allowed. Allowed drinks should be stored, transported and sold under 41 °F. Kombucha, alcoholic beverages and drinks containing prohibited ingredients are NOT allowed under Cottage Food Regulation.

Required Temperatures

Cottage food operations need to provide effective means to maintain home prepared chilled food and home prepared chilled drinks at 41 °F. or below. As an alternative to mechanical refrigeration, you may use an effectively insulated, hard-sided, cleanable cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs. 

• Place a thermometer inside the cooler to ensure temperature is 41 °F. or below during transport and holding times.
• This includes all samples of the chilled food/drink.
• No alcoholic or fermented (kombucha) or prohibited foods are allowed as an ingredient in any chilled food or drink, and all drinks must be prepackaged and properly labeled. Check out our sample labels. 
• Drinks cannot be prepared onsite and sold concession-style without a temporary food permit.

Equipment

According to the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act (410 ILCS 625), local health departments shall not limit vendors’ choice of refrigeration or cooling equipment and shall not charge a fee for the use of such equipment. Local health departments shall not be precluded or barred from requiring an effective alternative form of cooling if a vendor is unable to maintain food/drink at the appropriate temperature of 41 °F. or below for chilled foods. Follow best practices for safety:

• Monitoring temperature: For proof of appropriate temperature, use an accurate thermometer inside the unit to monitor the internal temperature of all insulated containers used for storage of chilled food or drink.
   
• Washing and sanitizing: Wash, rinse, and sanitize hard-sided cooling equipment after each use. Wash using hot soapy water, rinse in clear water, sanitize using a sanitizing rinse solution made of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of plain water and allow the container to air dry.
   
• Storing and transporting: Make sure the storage space in your transporting vehicle is clean. Dust and debris can contaminate chilled food/drink during transport.
   
• Maintaining safe temperature: Constant opening and closing of cooling equipment will cause the internal temperature to become warm on hot summer days. Package samples separately from sale foods to maintain an appropriate temperature of 41 °F. or below. Make sure you have an adequate amount of ice or other cooling means to sustain appropriate temperature during your entire stay at the event.