Guide
Cottage food labeling requirements in the US
Cottage-food labels are a state document plus federal allergen and identity rules. Expect the product name, ingredients, major allergens, net weight, your name, and a home-kitchen disclaimer. The exact sentence is in your state code — California’s is not Texas’s.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Cottage-food labels are a state document plus federal allergen and identity rules. Expect the product name, ingredients, major allergens, net weight, your name, and a home-kitchen disclaimer. The exact sentence is in your state code — California’s is not Texas’s.
Where this shows up in a real kitchen
Facebook groups paste one “universal cottage food label”. Inspectors do not use Facebook. Allowed foods differ: some states allow baked goods only; some allow jams; few allow meat. Sales caps and venue limits (farmers market vs internet) change what you may print “for sale” on at all.
The US rule
State cottage-food statutes specify disclaimer wording and often type size. FDA still requires FALCPA allergen names on packaged food. Nutrition Facts may be exempt until you make a nutrient claim or exceed small-business tests. USDA meat products are generally outside cottage food.
How to apply it
Download your state’s current cottage-food fact sheet, not a 2019 blog. Copy the disclaimer verbatim. Then add the FDA particulars. If you use pecans, wheat, milk, eggs or sesame, name them. Keep a copy of the fact sheet with your recipes.
- Save the current state fact sheet as a PDF dated today.
- Print the disclaimer exactly as specified.
- Add identity, net quantity, ingredients and major allergens.
- Avoid nutrient claims that kill a Nutrition Facts exemption you were using.
Worked example
Colorado cottage granola, 12 oz: identity “Maple almond granola”, net weight, ingredients (oats, maple syrup, almonds, oil, salt), Contains: almond, the Colorado homemade-foods disclaimer, name and city. No Nutrition Facts if the exemption still fits and no “high protein” claim is on the front.
Checks that belong on this pack
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Disclaimer matches the statute, not a meme | One missing phrase fails the inspection. |
| Almonds are named | Cottage is not an allergen holiday. |
| Food is on the allowed list | A gorgeous label on a banned food is still banned. |
| Sales channel matches the permit | Wholesale to a grocer is often a different license. |
Using another state’s disclaimer because it “sounds official”
Inspectors look for their sentence. A California line in Ohio is not charming.
What LabelClear can and cannot print
Get the ingredients and allergen names right, then drop in the state disclaimer by hand. LabelClear will not store fifty state sentences.
Questions
Do all fifty states have cottage food?
Can I use a commercial kitchen and still say cottage?
Is a farmers market automatic cottage food?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Food Labeling GuideU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Nutrition labeling requirementsU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Food allergiesU.S. Food and Drug Administration
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