Cottage food label requirements in Tennessee
Tennessee Food Freedom Act (homemade food items), Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118 (as amended by 2025 Pub. Ch. 431, SB 484/HB 130, eff. July 1, 2025). Regulated by Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Checked against state sources on .
Not fully verified. We could not confirm every detail for Tennessee on a primary state source when we checked. Treat these items as unconfirmed and check them with Tennessee Department of Agriculture before you print: disclaimerText, agencyUrl, annualCapUSD.
The statement your label needs
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
No type-size rule stated for the statement; keep it clearly legible.
What is different in Tennessee
- Non-TCS items may be delivered by a third-party carrier and sold via retail shops
- TCS items must be sold in person only
- Applies only to intrastate sales
- Phone/custom orders: disclose verbally, provide info on request
- Permit
- No permit or registration for most baked goods. Exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging and labeling laws except when the Department of Health investigates a reported foodborne illness. Local governments preempted from prohibiting or regulating.
- Sales cap
- No annual sales cap found in state sources
- Where you can sell
- Non-TCS: producer to consumer in person or remotely, or through an agent or third-party vendor such as a retail shop or grocery store. TCS: in person only, by producer or agent (e.g. farm stand on the property where prepared).
- Online orders
- Yes
- Ship in state
- Yes
- Ship out of state
- No
- Sell to shops / cafés
- Yes
- Allowed foods
- Any homemade food or non-alcoholic beverage; TCS foods allowed since July 1, 2025 except unpasteurized milk, alcohol, fish, shellfish and meat (poultry only under federal exemptions).
What a Tennessee cottage food label must show
- Name, home address, and telephone number of the producer
- Common or usual name of the homemade food item
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance
- The required statement (above)
- Placement: label on package or bulk container, placard at point of sale if unpackaged, or the sale webpage if sold only online; phone/custom orders may disclose verbally
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). Tennessee allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Make a Tennessee label now
The Tennessee 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 Tennessee’s rules above before selling.
True size. Tennessee statement.
Tennessee cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Tennessee cottage food label?
Tennessee requires: “This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.”.
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Tennessee?
No permit or registration for most baked goods. Exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging and labeling laws except when the Department of Health investigates a reported foodborne illness. Local governments preempted from prohibiting or regulating.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Tennessee?
No annual cap appears in the state sources we checked. No cap in statute.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Tennessee?
Tennessee allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Sources
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118 (current through 2025 session; Lexis text reproduced by UT Food Science) (statute)
- Tennessee Dept of Agriculture: Tennessee Food Freedom Act (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.
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