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Selling homemade food in Florida means your label has to follow the Florida Cottage Food Operation (Fla. Stat. §500.80). Here is exactly what that label must show in 2026 — the required fields, the allergen rule, and the verbatim disclaimer and its font size — sourced to the statute and dated.
Print this statement on the label, word for word:
At least 10-point type, in a color that clearly contrasts with the background.
Under Fla. Stat. § 500.03(1)(k), a "cottage food operation" is "a natural person or an entity that produces or packages cottage food products at the residence of the natural person or at the residence of a natural person who has an ownership interest in the entity and sells such products in accordance with s. 500.80." The food must therefore be produced or packaged at that residence, and § 500.80(4) adds that an operation "may only sell cottage food products that it stores on the premises of the cottage food operation." A "cottage food product" is defined as "food that is not time or temperature controlled for safety or a potentially hazardous food as defined by department rule which is sold by a cottage food operation in accordance with s. 500.80." Section 500.80(8) provides that the section "does not apply to a person operating under a food permit issued pursuant to s. 500.12."
Allowed:
Not allowed under the program:
$250,000 in annual gross sales. § 500.80(1)(a): a cottage food operation "is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000." § 500.80(1)(b): annual gross sales "include all sales of cottage food products at any location, regardless of the types of products sold or the number of persons involved in the operation", and the operation must provide FDACS, on request, written documentation verifying its annual gross sales. The $250,000 figure was set by the 2021 amendment (ch. 2021-211, CS/HB 663, effective 7/1/2021; SB 1294, the "Home Sweet Home Act", was the Senate companion and was not itself enacted).
Florida requires no state permit or registration for a cottage food operation.
Fee: No state fee is established by § 500.80 or stated on the FDACS Cottage Foods page, because no permit or registration is required.
Renewal: Not applicable; no permit or registration exists to renew under § 500.80.
Neither Fla. Stat. § 500.80 nor § 500.03(1)(k)-(l) imposes any food safety training, course, or certification requirement on a cottage food operation, and the FDACS Cottage Foods page states no training requirement.
No routine inspection. § 500.80(7)(a): FDACS "may investigate any complaint which alleges that a cottage food operation has violated an applicable provision of this chapter or rule adopted under this chapter." § 500.80(7)(b): "Only upon receipt of a complaint, the department's authorized officer or employee may enter and inspect the premises of a cottage food operation to determine compliance with this chapter and department rules, as applicable." Refusing entry or refusing to permit the inspection "is grounds for disciplinary action pursuant to s. 500.121."
§ 500.80(6): "The regulation of cottage food operations is preempted to the state. A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit a cottage food operation or regulate the preparation, processing, storage, or sale of cottage food products by a cottage food operation; however, a cottage food operation must comply with the conditions for the operation of a home-based business under s. 559.955." So cities and counties cannot ban or regulate the cottage food activity itself, but the s. 559.955 home-based business conditions still apply.
Program sources: Fla. Stat. § 500.80 (2025), "Cottage food operations", full text incl. History (s. 21, ch. 2011-205; s. 1, ch. 2017-32; s. 3, ch. 2021-211; s. 89, ch. 2025-22) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0500/Sections/0500.80.html · Fla. Stat. § 500.80 (2025) — Florida Senate copy — https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/500.80 · Fla. Stat. § 500.03, definitions of "cottage food operation" and "cottage food product" — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0500/Sections/0500.03.html · FDACS, Division of Food Safety, "Cottage Foods" program page (approved product list, $250,000 cap, no permit, sales channels, prepackaged samples) — https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Food/Food-Establishments/Cottage-Foods · Florida Senate, SB 1294 (2021) "Home Sweet Home Act" bill page — companion CS/HB 663 enacted as ch. 2021-211, effective 7/1/2021 — https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/1294
Florida runs a pure exemption, not a permit or registration program: under Fla. Stat. §500.80 you need no license, no inspection, and no fee from FDACS to start, as long as gross sales stay at or under $250,000 per year — one of the highest sales caps in the country. The trade-off is that Florida bans wholesale entirely: you may sell direct to the consumer in person, from your home, at farmers markets and roadside stands, and by mail order or your own website, but never to grocery stores, restaurants, or any reseller. Only shelf-stable, non-potentially-hazardous foods qualify (breads, cakes, cookies, candies, jams/jellies, honey, dried herbs, popcorn, nuts).
Mail order and website sales are allowed, but only within Florida. Cottage food made under §500.80 may not be shipped across state lines — an out-of-state order requires a licensed/inspected facility. Restrict your shipping zone to Florida addresses.
Florida cottage food is strictly direct-to-consumer. Placing your jams on a boutique's shelf or supplying a cafe is a prohibited wholesale sale, even inside Florida. Keep every sale end-consumer only.
Each package must carry the statement that the food was 'made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations,' plus the operation's name and address, product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight/volume, and allergen declarations per federal law. A missing line is the most common violation.
Cheesecakes, cream/custard pies, cream-cheese frostings, garlic-in-oil, fermented or canned low-acid vegetables, and meat/fish jerky are not permitted. If it needs refrigeration to stay safe, it is outside the cottage food list.
Timeline: Same day. Florida requires no application, permit, or inspection before you sell — the exemption is automatic once you meet the conditions. Realistic steps: (1) confirm your product is on the allowed non-hazardous list; (2) build a compliant label with the required exemption statement and allergen info; (3) start selling direct to consumers. Budget a few hours to design and print labels.
Cost: $0 — no permit required. Florida charges no FDACS fee for a cottage food operation. Your only out-of-pocket costs are label printing/packaging (roughly $10–$50 for a starter batch).
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Make my Florida label →Florida requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.” It must be set at a minimum of 10-point type.
No. Florida does not require a permit or registration number printed on the label.
At minimum: product name — the common name of the food; your business / producer name; the address of the cottage food operation; a complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight (sub-ingredients included); an allergen declaration — the 9 major FDA allergens, in the ingredient list or a “Contains:” line; net weight, in US customary and metric units; the state's required disclaimer at a minimum of 10-point type (see below).
No. Florida requires no state cottage food permit or registration. No state fee is established by § 500.80 or stated on the FDACS Cottage Foods page, because no permit or registration is required.
Allowed: Loaf breads, rolls, biscuits (FDACS list); Cakes, pastries and cookies (FDACS list); Candies and confections (FDACS list); Honey (FDACS list); Jams, jellies and preserves (FDACS list); Fruit pies and dried fruits (FDACS list); Dry herbs, seasonings and mixtures (FDACS list); Homemade pasta (FDACS list); Cereals, trail mixes and granola (FDACS list); Coated or uncoated nuts (FDACS list); Vinegar and flavored vinegars (FDACS list); Popcorn and popcorn balls (FDACS list).
$250,000 in annual gross sales. § 500.80(1)(a): a cottage food operation "is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000." § 500.80(1)(b): annual gross sales "include all sales of cottage food products at any location, regardless of the types of products sold or the number of persons involved in the operation", and the operation must provide FDACS, on request, written documentation verifying its annual gross sales. The $250,000 figure was set by the 2021 amendment (ch. 2021-211, CS/HB 663, effective 7/1/2021; SB 1294, the "Home Sweet Home Act", was the Senate companion and was not itself enacted).
No. CottageCompliance gives general information based on each state's published rules, dated to when we last verified them. Always confirm with your state or local agency before selling.
Source: Fla. Stat. §500.80; FDACS Cottage Food. Reconfirm on fdacs.gov. Verified 2026-06-15. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.