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Selling homemade food in Montana means your label has to follow the Montana Cottage Food Program — MCA § 50-50-116 (conditions for cottage food operation exemption from licensure and routine facility inspection) and § 50-50-117 (registration -- fee); administered by Montana DPHHS Food & Consumer Safety Section. 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:
Statute (MCA § 50-50-116(2)(b)(vii)) prescribes this exact wording and requires it be printed in at least the equivalent of 11-point font size, in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background, and conspicuously placed on the principal label (principal display panel). Verbatim confirmed against the official MCA text. No permit/registration number is required on the label.
Montana runs a registration-based cottage food program (not a pure exemption): you must register your operation and pay a fee under MCA § 50-50-117, but the registration number does NOT go on the label — instead the label carries a statute-mandated verbatim disclaimer set in a hard-specified minimum 11-point font. Getting the font floor and the exact 'retail food establishment regulations or inspections' phrasing right is what separates a compliant Montana label from a rejected one. Both facts were confirmed word-for-word against the official Montana Code Annotated.
The disclaimer must be printed in at least the equivalent of 11-point font. Many home producers shrink it to fit a small jar; anything under 11pt is out of compliance even if every word is correct — the size is written into the statute itself (50-50-116(2)(b)(vii)).
Use the exact statutory sentence 'Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.' Do not paraphrase to 'not inspected by the state' or borrow another state's short 'Made in a Home Kitchen' form — Montana prescribes this specific text, confirmed against the MCA.
Beyond size, the disclaimer must be in a color that provides clear contrast to the background and be conspicuously placed on the principal label (principal display panel / front) — not buried on the back or printed in a color that blends into the background.
The exemption from licensure and routine inspection does NOT exempt you from registering the cottage food operation and paying the fee under MCA § 50-50-117 before selling. Registration is separate from labeling and its number never appears on the label; confirm the current fee amount and process with DPHHS or your local health department.
Timeline: Register the cottage food operation with your local health department / Montana DPHHS before your first sale; labels can be produced immediately since the wording, font floor, contrast, and placement are all fixed by statute. Registration processing is typically days to a few weeks depending on the local health jurisdiction.
Cost: Registration fee applies under MCA § 50-50-117 (amount set by statute/local health department) — confirm the current amount with DPHHS or your county health department; label printing is the only other out-of-pocket cost. No per-label state fee.
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Make my Montana label →Montana requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.” It must be set at a minimum of 11-point type.
No. Montana 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 11-point type (see below).
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: MCA § 50-50-116 (https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0500/chapter_0500/part_0010/section_0160/0500-0500-0010-0160.html); MCA § 50-50-117 (registration -- fee); Montana DPHHS Food & Consumer Safety Section cottage food program Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.