Home › Guides › What Has to Be on a Cottage Food Label?
If you sell food you make at home, the label is where the law actually touches your product. Here is what nearly every state asks for — and the parts that change depending on where you live.
Cottage food laws — the rules that let you sell certain foods made in your home kitchen — are run state by state, not by the federal government. There is no single national cottage food label. Each state writes its own list of what you can sell, how you can sell it, and exactly what has to appear on the package.
That means the label elements below are a reliable starting point, because most states ask for the same core pieces. But the exact details — the precise disclaimer wording, how big the text must be, whether your permit number goes on the label — are set by your state's agriculture or health department. Treat this article as a map of what to look for, then confirm every specific against your state's requirements page before you print anything.
This is general information to help you get organized, not legal advice.
Your label needs a clear, honest name for what is inside — "Chocolate Chip Cookies," "Blueberry Jam," "Sourdough Loaf." The name should describe the food accurately so a buyer knows what they are getting and isn't misled.
Avoid claims you can't stand behind. Words like "organic," "sugar-free," "keto," or "healthy" are regulated terms, and health or medical claims can pull your product out of cottage food territory entirely. When in doubt, describe the food plainly.
Cottage food labels identify the person who made the food. Typically that means your name (or your registered business name) and a physical address — the address of the home kitchen where the food was produced.
This is one place people get nervous, because it can mean putting a home address on a package sold to strangers. Some states let you use a business name and accept a mailing address or PO box, while others specifically require the production address. Because this varies, check what your state allows on your state's requirements page before deciding how to list it.
List every ingredient in the product, in descending order by weight — the ingredient you used the most of comes first, then the next, and so on down to the least. If an ingredient is itself made of several things (a chocolate chip, a seasoning blend), you generally have to break out its sub-ingredients too.
Be complete and specific. "Spices" or "natural flavors" can be acceptable shorthand in some cases, but the safest habit is to name what actually went into the food. An accurate ingredient list is also what makes the next element — allergens — possible.
The major food allergens have to be clear to a buyer, because for some people this is a safety issue, not a preference. In the United States the recognized major allergens include milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
Most labels handle this with a "Contains:" line after the ingredients — for example, "Contains: wheat, milk, eggs." Some states also expect a note about cross-contact if the food was made in a kitchen that also handles those allergens. Your state's page will tell you the exact format it wants.
The label should state how much food is in the package — the net quantity, shown as weight (ounces and grams) or, for liquids, volume. "Net weight" refers to the food itself, not the food plus the jar or box.
States commonly want both U.S. and metric units. The specifics of formatting and rounding are the kind of detail worth confirming against your state's rules rather than guessing.
Nearly every cottage food state requires a disclaimer statement telling the buyer the food was made in a home kitchen that is not inspected the way a commercial facility is. The idea is consistent everywhere; the exact sentence is not.
This is the single most state-specific element on the label. States publish the precise wording they want, often word-for-word, and many also set a minimum font size so the statement is actually readable. Some require the disclaimer in capital letters, and some want your cottage food permit or registration number printed alongside it. Do not paraphrase another state's version — copy your own state's approved text exactly, at the size it specifies. This is the detail inspectors and buyers notice first.
Two more things the same page usually settles: which foods you're allowed to sell (cottage food laws generally cover non-hazardous, shelf-stable items — baked goods, jams, candies, dry mixes — and exclude anything needing refrigeration for safety), and whether you may ship or must sell in person or in-state. Both vary widely, so confirm them alongside your disclaimer.
A compliant cottage food label almost always needs six things: the product name, your name and address, ingredients by weight, allergen disclosure, net weight, and a home-kitchen disclaimer. The core list is stable across the country — but the exact disclaimer wording, the required font size, whether your permit number appears, which foods you may sell, and whether you can ship are all set by your state. Build your label from this checklist, then verify every specific against your state's requirements page and, when unsure, your state agriculture or health department. This is general information, not legal advice.
The exact disclaimer wording, its legal font size, and whether a permit number goes on the label are set by your state. Pick yours and get a compliant label in seconds.
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