Cottage food label requirements in Iowa
Cottage Food (Iowa Code 137F.20); separate licensed Home Food Processing Establishment option (ch. 137D), Iowa Code 137F.1(3), 137F.20 (2022 Acts, ch 1129 / HF 2431); Iowa Code ch. 137D (home food processing establishments). Regulated by Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Food and Consumer Safety. Checked against state sources on .
The statement your label needs
This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.
No type-size rule stated for the statement; keep it clearly legible.
What is different in Iowa
- Delivery by mail or by an agent such as an employee is allowed
- Home-canned acidified goods need per-batch pH or water-activity meter readings and a canning date on each container
- TCS foods and resale need a ch. 137D home food processing establishment license (under $50,000 sales) with its own statement: "This product was produced at a home food processing establishment."
- Statute says compliance does not represent compliance with federal law
- Permit
- No permit or registration for most baked goods. Cottage food is exempt from all state licensing, permitting and inspection when sold and delivered directly to the consumer. TCS foods or resale require a home food processing establishment license under ch. 137D (annual, renewable, periodic inspection, gross annual sales under $50,000).
- Sales cap
- No annual sales cap found in state sources
- Where you can sell
- Sold directly from the producer to the consumer: in person, remotely, by telephone, by internet or through an agent; DIAL says the only food establishments where cottage foods can be sold are temporary food establishments operated by the producer.
- Online orders
- Yes
- Ship in state
- Yes
- Ship out of state
- Not addressed clearly by state sources
- Sell to shops / cafés
- No
- Allowed foods
- Food produced at a private residence that is not time/temperature control for safety food, including home-canned pickles, vegetables or fruits with pH 4.6 or lower or water activity 0.85 or lower (each batch measured with a meter). Excludes milk/milk products and meat/poultry products.
What a Iowa cottage food label must show
- Name and address, phone number, or email address of the person preparing the food
- Common name of the food
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance
- The required statement (above)
- Allergen statement naming each major food allergen by its common name
- Home-canned pickles, vegetables or fruits: date the food was processed and canned
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). Iowa 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 Iowa label now
The Iowa 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 Iowa’s rules above before selling.
True size. Iowa statement.
Iowa cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Iowa cottage food label?
Iowa requires: “This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.”.
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Iowa?
No permit or registration for most baked goods. Cottage food is exempt from all state licensing, permitting and inspection when sold and delivered directly to the consumer. TCS foods or resale require a home food processing establishment license under ch. 137D (annual, renewable, periodic inspection, gross annual sales under $50,000).
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Iowa?
No annual cap appears in the state sources we checked. No cap for cottage food under 137F.20. The licensed home food processing establishment (ch. 137D) must have gross annual sales under $50,000.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Iowa?
Iowa 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
- Iowa Code 137F.20 Cottage food — requirements (statute)
- Iowa Code 137F.1 Definitions (cottage food) (statute)
- Iowa Code ch. 137D Home Food Processing Establishments (statute)
- Iowa DIAL: Cottage Foods (agency)
Checked October 18, 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.
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