Cottage food label requirements in Vermont
Cottage Food Operation licensing exemption, 18 V.S.A. §§ 4301, 4353, 4358 (as amended by Act 42 of 2025, eff. July 1, 2025); Vermont Dept. of Health Manufactured Food Rule §§ 6.1-6.2 (eff. Jan. 15, 2026). Regulated by Vermont Department of Health. Checked against state sources on .
The statement your label needs
Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.
Type size and placement: at least 10-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background label
What is different in Vermont
- Act 42 (2025) replaced the old $125/week home bakery exemption with a $30,000 cottage food exemption
- Annual training and annual exemption filing by January 15
- Cannot sell to restaurants or licensed food service establishments
- Must be made in own home kitchen; rented kitchens not covered
- Cheesecake, quiche, cheese danish and other refrigerated baked goods excluded
- Permit
- Registration required. No license or fee. Must complete Department-approved training before starting and annually, and file a license exemption in the online portal each year by January 15. Subject to sanitation rules and possible inspection.
- Sales cap
- $30,000 a year. $30,000 gross annual receipts from cottage food products; separate $10,000 exemption for other processed foods may be combined.
- Where you can sell
- Sale of products from the home kitchen; may not sell to restaurants or other licensed food service establishments.
- Online orders
- Not addressed clearly by state sources
- Ship in state
- Not addressed clearly by state sources
- Ship out of state
- Not addressed clearly by state sources
- Sell to shops / cafés
- Limited
- Allowed foods
- Foods not requiring refrigeration or time/temperature control: non-potentially hazardous baked goods, candy, jams and jellies, dry herbs, trail mix, granola, cereal, mixed nuts, flavored vinegar, popcorn, coffee beans, dry tea, and approved-recipe acidified home-canned goods.
What a Vermont cottage food label must show
- Name and address of the operation (physical home kitchen address, not a PO box)
- Name of the food product
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
- Net weight or net volume
- Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements
- Nutrition labeling if any nutrient content or health claim is made
- The required statement (above)
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). Vermont’s sources do not clearly address online orders — ask the agency before you set up a web shop. Shipping within the state is not clearly addressed, and shipping to other states is not addressed (selling across state lines also brings in federal rules).
Make a Vermont label now
The Vermont 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 Vermont’s rules above before selling.
True size. Vermont statement at 10 pt minimum.
Vermont cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Vermont cottage food label?
Vermont requires: “Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.” (at least 10-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background label).
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Vermont?
Registration required. No license or fee. Must complete Department-approved training before starting and annually, and file a license exemption in the online portal each year by January 15. Subject to sanitation rules and possible inspection.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Vermont?
Yes: $30,000 in gross sales a year. $30,000 gross annual receipts from cottage food products; separate $10,000 exemption for other processed foods may be combined.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Vermont?
Vermont’s sources do not clearly address online orders — ask the agency before you set up a web shop. Shipping within the state is not clearly addressed, and shipping to other states is not addressed (selling across state lines also brings in federal rules).
Sources
- Vermont Act 42 (2025), H.401 as enacted (statute)
- Vermont Dept. of Health Manufactured Food Rule (final, eff. 1/15/2026) (regulation)
- Vermont Dept. of Health: Food Manufacturing Licensing Exemptions (Nov 2025) (agency)
- Vermont Department of Health (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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