Draft content — requires review by a qualified Arkansas attorney before launch. This is not legal advice. Nothing on this page is a guarantee or a statement of legal compliance.
Host Requirements
Who can apply
You do not need a restaurant or storefront to apply. GuestPlate welcomes home cooks, bakers, caterers, personal chefs, food trucks, and local food businesses. The requirements that apply depend on what you prepare and where you prepare it.
Eligibility paths
Hosts apply as a Homemade Food Producer (foods that may legally be sold from a private residence without a food-service permit), a Permitted Food Business (products that require a food establishment, processing, catering, or related permit), or Unsure — Needs Review, where our team reviews the application by hand. No one is rejected just for answering that they don't hold a permit or believe their products are exempt.
Arkansas
GuestPlate is launching in Arkansas. Qualifying homemade foods that don't require time or temperature control for safety — for example many baked goods, candies, jams and jellies, dried products, and certain pickled or acidified products — may be sold directly to informed end consumers, including online and through third parties. Foods that require time or temperature control for safety — such as cooked meat or poultry, seafood, dairy products, casseroles, deli salads, cheesecakes, cream or custard pies, and other refrigerated or hot-held meals — generally require the appropriate permit. These examples are not a legal determination; contact the Arkansas Department of Health (healthy.arkansas.gov) when classification is unclear.
Review process
Hosts complete a GuestPlate review process before publishing. This review is not a food license, inspection, or government certification, and does not replace local inspections or licensing.
Homemade product disclosures
Each homemade product listing must include the date produced, producer name and required contact information (or approved producer identification number where allowed), the common name of the food, a complete ingredient list in descending order, allergen information, and the required homemade-food disclosure statement. Products can't be published until these are complete.
Ongoing obligations
Keep permits and documents current. GuestPlate may request documentation, pause listings, or suspend a Host when documentation expires or information appears inaccurate.