Dyersburg, TN - September 25, 2026 - The Mill Workspace, UT-TSU Dyer County Extension Office, and the Dyersburg-Dyer County Chamber of Commerce partnered to bring a workshop to the community focused on "Understanding the Tennessee Food Freedom Act". The workshop was presented by Mike Brown, a food consultant with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
The workshop began with a tour of the Main Street Dyersburg Farmers Market, where Chamber President Slater Barr shared the progress being made at the Farmers Market through a recent renovation grant. He also talked about how the Farmers Market can serve as a soft introduction for vendors who want to test their products and see how they perform in the market.
Attendees then made their way to The Mill Workspace, where they participated in an hour-and-a-half workshop covering the Tennessee Food Freedom Act. Brown also took time to answer questions and provide clarification on regulations that can sometimes be unclear for vendors and small business owners.
Attendees said the workshop was informative and appreciated that Brown took time before beginning the presentation to ask what topics were most relevant to their specific concerns or businesses.
Brown covered the history of Cottage Food Laws in Tennessee and how, over time, those laws were renamed the Tennessee Food Freedom Act. He provided an in-depth look at which foods are and are not considered temperature-controlled for safety (TCS) foods, acceptable pH levels, water moisture levels in foods, food labeling requirements, good manufacturing practices, and the do's and don'ts of selling refrigerated versus dry foods, whether through your own farmstand or a partnering business.
Some of the topics covered by Brown included:
- The Tennessee Food Freedom Act requires products to be made at your private residence.
- The TFFA allows both TCS and non-TCS homemade food items.
- Foods cannot include red meats, fish, shellfish, raw milk, or alcohol as ingredients or final products.
- TCS food items must be sold only in person directly to consumers.
- Non-TCS food items can also be sold through third parties, such as grocery stores.
- TFFA homemade food items cannot be used by restaurants, food trucks, or caterers.
About The Mill Workspace: The Mill Workspace, a DBA of Northwest Tennessee Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)3 entrepreneur center located in Dyersburg, TN, and focused on serving entrepreneurs in the nine counties of Northwest Tennessee. They help businesses through one-on-one counseling, workshops, and multi-week programs, all designed to help businesses in the region start up and grow.
Programs at The Mill are funded in part by a grant from LaunchTN.
