Cottage food label requirements in Hawaii
Homemade Food Products, Haw. Admin. R. §§ 11-50-2, 11-50-3(c), 11-50-35(c)(4) (amended eff. Aug. 24, 2025, implementing Act 195, SLH 2024). Regulated by Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch. Checked against state sources on .
The statement your label needs
Made in a home kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health
No type-size rule stated for the statement; keep it clearly legible.
What is different in Hawaii
- No permit, but food safety certification is mandatory
- Since Aug 24, 2025 may sell via third parties, online, by mail/shipping, and wholesale to permitted food establishments
- Pickled/fermented/acidified plant foods allowed (pH <= 4.2 or Aw < 0.88)
- Restaurants using an HMF product must disclose it in writing and show the label on request
- Home honey producers fall under HRS 328-79 instead
- Permit
- No permit or registration for most baked goods. Exempt from the food establishment permit. Operator must obtain food safety certification (DOH class or ANSI-accredited course); handwashing sink required; remains subject to DOH inspection (e.g. complaints). Some markets may require a Special Event permit.
- Sales cap
- No annual sales cap found in state sources
- Where you can sell
- Directly to the consumer in person or remotely (telephone/internet), or through an agent or third-party vendor such as a food establishment.
- Online orders
- Yes
- Ship in state
- Yes
- Ship out of state
- Not addressed clearly by state sources
- Sell to shops / cafés
- Yes
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS foods made in a home kitchen (not dried meats or seafood), plus pickled/fermented/acidified plant foods with pH <= 4.2 or Aw < 0.88 (no melons); cut-tomato products like salsa must be kept at or below 41F.
What a Hawaii cottage food label must show
- The required statement (above)
- Common name of the food, or an adequately descriptive identity statement
- If 2+ ingredients, ingredients and subingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
- Notification of the presence of major food allergens
- Name and contact information of the homemade food product producer
Federal rules still apply on top: ingredients in descending order by weight (21 CFR 101.4), the nine major allergens declared by name (FALCPA and the FASTER Act), and net quantity in ounces and grams (21 CFR 101.7). Hawaii allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and shipping to other states is not addressed (selling across state lines also brings in federal rules).
Make a Hawaii label now
The Hawaii statement is already on it. Type your ingredients, tick the allergens and print on Avery sheets or a thermal roll. To have the ingredient order and allergens worked out from a costed recipe, use the workbench.
Still missing: business name and address.
Print at 100% scale with no margins. Check the result against Hawaii’s rules above before selling.
True size. Hawaii statement.
Hawaii cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Hawaii cottage food label?
Hawaii requires: “Made in a home kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health”.
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Hawaii?
No permit or registration for most baked goods. Exempt from the food establishment permit. Operator must obtain food safety certification (DOH class or ANSI-accredited course); handwashing sink required; remains subject to DOH inspection (e.g. complaints). Some markets may require a Special Event permit.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Hawaii?
No annual cap appears in the state sources we checked. No sales cap in HAR 11-50.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Hawaii?
Hawaii allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and shipping to other states is not addressed (selling across state lines also brings in federal rules).
Sources
- HAR Title 11 Ch. 50 Food Safety Code (2025 compilation) (regulation)
- Hawaii DOH Food Safety Branch: Homemade Food Products fact sheet (01.29.2026) (agency)
- Hawaii DOH: Highlights of approved amendments to HAR 11-50 (Aug 24, 2025) (agency)
- Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch (agency)
Checked October 17, 2026. This is a checklist built from the sources above, not legal advice. Rules change; your county or the agency has the final word. Spotted something out of date? The about page explains how we check.
Tell us what to build next
Everything in Proofsheet is free during the beta. Leave your email and pick the feature you would pay for; we will write when it ships.