Food Manufacturing

General information about wholesale food manufacturing and links to some related guidance documents can be found here. If you are starting a new food-manufacturing business, this should be one of your first stops.

Food manufacturing and processing in Louisiana occurs in a variety of forms, from the bottling of drinking water and soft drinks to the production of such endemic Louisiana staples as gumbos, hot sauces and crawfish pies. All of these activities are regulated by the Food and Drug Unit (FDU) under the authority of the Louisiana Administrative Code (specifically, Part VI of Title 51) and § 601 et seq. of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 (better known as the State Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law). As with all its endeavors, the purpose of FDU's oversight of these activities is to verify that producers of such comestibles meet minimum standards of sanitation as outlined in the above-referenced regulations. However, please be aware of the following exceptions.

FDU does not regulate the following:

• manufacturers of meats or meat products (defined in accordance with Title 21 U.S.C. §601 et. seq.) or slaughterhouses/abbatoirs of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, equines, chickens, or turkeys;
• retail food stores (including retail bakeries);
• manufacturers of seafood or shellfish products (non-value-added) as defined by 21 C.F.R. §123.3; or
• milk and dairy farms or processors.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, in cooperation with the U.S.D.A., regulates meat producers and processors. The DHH/OPH Retail Food Program regulates retail food operations of various kinds. The DHH/OPH Seafood Program regulates seafood processors. The DHH/OPH Milk and Dairy Program regulates dairy farms and milk and milk-product producers.

Please note that any of the above-referenced establishment types, if it also has a regulated commodity/process (e.g., manufactures turkey sausage and turkey pot pies), may be subject to FDU regulation and inspection.

Regulations

• Title 51, Part VI of the Louisiana Administrative Code - Our primary regulatory authority
• Addendum to Part VI - regulations addressing food processing plans, food recall plans, and mandatory laboratory testing of finished ingredients and foods
• Title 51, Part X, L.A.C. - Game bird and small animal processing regulations

For more information, contact the Food & Drug Program at 225-342-7533.