To sell wild mushrooms to food establishments in Minnesota, the Minnesota Food Code requires an approved (safe) source of wild mushrooms. A certified mushroom harvester is someone who is qualified to forage and sell wild mushrooms to food establishments. Mushroom identification experts must:
- Complete a mushroom identification course at an accredited college, university, or mycological society. The identification course must cover the species of the mushroom the individual intends to forage and sell.
- Currently mushroom identification courses are only being offered in Minnesota by the Minnesota Mycological Society, please visit their website to see upcoming trainings and events.
- Obtain documentation from an accredited college, university, or mycological society certifying successful completion of a wild mushroom identification course.
- The documentation must be on file with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).
- The documentation can be submitted online via our Wild Mushroom Harvester Registration, or
- A copy of the documentation and the Wild Mushroom Harvester Registration form can be emailed to ProduceSafety.MDA@state.mn.us.
Individuals who have documentation on file with the MDA can be found on our Certified Wild Mushroom Harvester Database.
If you plan on selling mushrooms that you forage, please contact the licensing liaison, they will be able to determine if a license will be required call 651-201-6081 or email MDA.FoodLicensingLiaison@state.mn.us.
Funding for this statement, publication, press release, etc. was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.
