Guide
How to label homemade food for sale in the US
Homemade food sold in the United States is labeled under state cottage-food rules plus, when the food is packaged, FDA’s identity, quantity, ingredients and allergen names. A cute sticker with only the flavor name is not a label. Shipping across state lines can take you out of cottage food altogether.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
Homemade food sold in the United States is labeled under state cottage-food rules plus, when the food is packaged, FDA’s identity, quantity, ingredients and allergen names. A cute sticker with only the flavor name is not a label. Shipping across state lines can take you out of cottage food altogether.
Where this shows up in a real kitchen
Etsy bakers, church-sale cooks and home hot-sauce makers all hit the same wall: the state booklet talks about a home-kitchen disclaimer, and FDA still wants milk named if butter is in the cookie. Selling only to neighbors at a stall is not the same as a national webshop.
The US rule
Cottage food is state law — allowed foods, sales caps, disclaimers like “made in a home kitchen”. Packaged FDA foods still need FALCPA names and usually net quantity and a place of business. Interstate sale, meat products and wholesale to stores often leave the cottage-food lane. Check your state department of agriculture, then FDA Part 101.
How to apply it
Read your state’s cottage-food list before you bottle. Print the required disclaimer in the type size they ask for. Add the product name, ingredients, major allergens, net weight, and your name and city. If you start shipping nationwide, budget for Nutrition Facts and a licensed kitchen — do not wait for a platform ban to tell you.
- Confirm the food is allowed under your state’s cottage-food list.
- Put the state-required home-kitchen disclaimer on the pack.
- Add FDA identity, net quantity, ingredients and the nine major allergens that are present.
- Stop and re-permit if you add meat, wholesale, or nationwide shipping.
Worked example
A Texas cottage baker selling sealed pecan bars at a farmers market: “Pecan bars”, net weight, ingredients with wheat, butter (milk), eggs, pecans, the Texas home-kitchen disclaimer, name and city. No meat. No interstate three-day shipping. The same bars on Amazon FBA would not be a cottage-food story anymore.
Checks that belong on this pack
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| State disclaimer is present and readable | Missing that line is how cottage inspections fail first. |
| Pecans and wheat are named | Home-kitchen status does not cancel FALCPA. |
| No meat jerky on a cottage-only permit | FSIS and state bans are not suggestions. |
| Website shipping matches the permit geography | A nationwide checkout is a new business. |
Copying a UK home-baker PPDS label and adding a US flag
UK home bakers worry about Natasha’s Law. US home sellers worry about cottage-food lists, disclaimers and FDA allergen names. Different paperwork.
What LabelClear can and cannot print
Draft ingredients and allergen names, then add your state’s disclaimer and net weight. The generator will not print the home-kitchen sentence for you.
Questions
Can I sell homemade food on Instagram nationwide?
Do I need Nutrition Facts?
Are drinks allowed?
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
- Food allergiesU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 21 CFR Part 101 — Food labelingeCFR / National Archives
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