Whole, uncut fresh fruit sold direct from Iowa orchards, farms, and gardens
Iowa Code 137F.1 exempts a produce stand or facility that sells only whole, uncut fresh fruits and vegetables from the food establishment licensing scheme entirely — the moment you slice, peel, or juice it, that exemption stops applying.
Basic food safety practice — clean harvest containers, safe water source, reasonable pest control — protects both your exemption and your customers, even though it isn't spelled out as a licensing checklist item.
Dried fruit goes through the Dried Goods cottage food path, jams and fruit butters go through Preserves, and any fruit juice needs to meet the Beverages category's stricter rules.
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Whole, uncut fresh fruit | Exempt from food establishment licensing | Iowa Code 137F.1 |
| U-pick sales | Exempt, same as stand sales, if fruit stays whole | Iowa Code 137F.1 |
| Cut or sliced fresh fruit | Becomes a TCS food; exemption no longer applies | DIAL |
| Dried fruit | See Dried Goods — cottage food eligible | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Jams, fruit butters | See Preserves — cottage food eligible if pH-tested | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
Cutting fruit for sampling moves it into TCS territory and outside the whole-produce exemption — treat sampling as a separate food-safety question and consider single-service portions handled with food-safe practices.
No state food establishment license is required specifically because it sells only whole, uncut fresh fruit — but local zoning, signage, and a sales tax permit may still apply.
Freezing whole fruit without cutting or adding ingredients generally stays within the spirit of the whole-produce exemption, but confirm with DIAL if you're processing at any real scale.
The exemption covers the stand's sale of whole, uncut produce regardless of who grew it, but reselling wholesale-sourced produce may raise separate traceability and market-rules questions — check with the specific market you sell through.