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Wholesale Manufactured Foods New Business Guide
Licensing Information

A person shall not operate a food establishment without a valid MDARD food license unless they meet an exemption specified in the Michigan Food Law, Act 92 of 2000, section 4102 or 4105. Applications must be submitted 30 business days before the proposed opening date or the change of ownership date. All applications and licenses expire on April 30 of each year and must be renewed at least 30 days before that date. The submission of an application and associated fee does not allow a business to begin operating. Operating without a valid food license may result in fines and/or penalties. 

There are several license types. The license type is usually determined by the predominant type of food sales conducted by the business. 

  • Wholesale: An operation that sells or offers to sell food to other facilities or businesses rather than directly to the end consumer. 
  • Retail: An operation that sells or offers to sell food directly to the end consumer.  

Contact Information

After completing the steps outlined in this guide, you should have the basic knowledge to operate your wholesale food business.  

Michigan is divided into manufactured food inspector districts. Contact 1-800-292-3939 to get in touch with your assigned area manufactured food inspector.  

Questions

Have questions? Contact MDARD’s Human Food Division via phone at 1-800-292-3939 or via email at MDARD-info@michigan.gov