Cottage Food Label Requirements: A Checklist

Start with your state, not a template

There is no single federal cottage food label. Each state that allows home-made food sales writes its own law, and the label rules sit inside that law or the agency’s rules. What a baker in Texas prints is not what a baker in Florida prints, and copying another state’s statement can make your label non-compliant even if every other line is perfect.

So the first step is always the same: open your state’s page in the cottage food laws hub and note three things — which foods are allowed, the sales cap, and the exact wording of the required statement.

That said, most states draw on the same building blocks, because they borrow from federal food labeling rules. Once you know them, adapting to any state takes minutes.

The elements most states require

Element	What it means in practice	Federal rule it echoes
Business name and location	Your operation’s name plus address, or a state-issued ID number where allowed	21 CFR 101.5
Product name	The common or usual name: “Lemon Bars”, not just “Sunshine Squares”	—
Ingredient list	Every ingredient, heaviest to lightest by weight	21 CFR 101.4
Allergen declaration	Each major food allergen the product contains	FALCPA
Net quantity	Weight, volume or count of what is in the package	21 CFR 101.7
Cottage food statement	A state-worded notice that the food was made in a home kitchen that is not inspected	State law only

Not every state asks for every line. Texas, for instance, does not include an ingredient list or net weight in the label items on its state page, while Florida requires both. Your state page tells you which apply.

Business name and address

Federal rules for packaged food require the name and place of business, with street address, city, state and ZIP code (21 CFR 101.5). Many states adopt a similar rule for cottage foods, which is why home bakers often worry about printing their home address. Some states now offer an alternative: Texas lets operators who register with the state print a unique identification number instead of an address.

Ingredients in descending order by weight

Under 21 CFR 101.4, ingredients are listed by common or usual name “in descending order of predominance by weight.” Two details trip up home bakers:

• Compound ingredients. Chocolate chips, sprinkles, cake mix and store-bought frosting all have their own ingredients. You either list the ingredient with its components in parentheses, for example “chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanilla)”, or blend each component into the main list in its proper position.
• Weight, not volume. Two cups of flour and two cups of chocolate chips do not weigh the same. You need gram weights to get the order right, which is one more reason to keep recipes in grams. The baking unit converter converts cups to grams by ingredient.

The workbench’s label maker builds the list from the recipe weights automatically, so the order updates when you change the recipe.

Allergens

Federal law names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame (FDA). Most cottage food laws require them on the label. The cleanest way is a “Contains” line right after the ingredient list, naming the specific tree nut, fish or shellfish. The full how-to is in our allergen labeling guide.

Net quantity

Where required, state the amount as weight for solid foods, or as a count where weight alone would not tell the buyer what they are getting. The federal rule (21 CFR 101.7) puts it on the front panel, within the bottom 30% of the label, though very small packages (a front panel of 5 square inches or less) can be excused from that placement rule. Some state cottage food laws simply ask for “net weight or net volume” without the placement detail. A small kitchen scale and a few test packages give you an honest number.

Two state examples, word for word

The required statement is the part you must not paraphrase. Two examples, copied from the state sources:

Texas

Texas Department of State Health Services lists these label items for cottage food production operations:

• The name of the operation
• The address, or a unique identification number in place of the address
• The common or usual name of the product
• Any major food allergen the food is made with, such as eggs, tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk, wheat and sesame
• The disclosure: “THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.”

SB 541 changed the Texas rules beginning September 1, 2025, raising the annual gross income threshold to $150,000. Foods that need time and temperature control for safety also need the date the food was made on the label, plus a safe handling statement in at least 12-point font on the label or on the invoice or receipt. For online sales, DSHS says the labeling information must be posted on your website before you accept payment. Details are on our Texas cottage food page.

Florida

Florida Statutes section 500.80 requires cottage food products to be sold prepackaged with a label showing:

• The name and address of the cottage food operation
• The name of the product
• The ingredients, in descending order of predominance by weight
• The net weight or net volume
• Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements
• Nutritional information as specified by federal requirements, if any nutritional claim is made
• The statement “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.” in at least 10-point type, in a color that clearly contrasts with the background

Florida caps annual gross sales of cottage food products at $250,000. See the Florida cottage food page.

A sample label, laid out

Here is how a Florida label for a bag of cookies could read, top to bottom:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Net wt. 6 oz (170 g)

Ingredients: chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter,
milkfat, soy lecithin, vanilla), enriched flour (wheat flour,
niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic
acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla
extract, baking soda, salt.
Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, soy.

[Your Bakery Name], [street address, city, FL ZIP]

Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to
Florida's food safety regulations.

The ingredient order above is illustrative; yours must follow your recipe’s actual weights, and the sub-ingredients must match the packages you buy. For Texas, you would swap in the Texas statement, could use your registration number instead of the street address, and must still list the allergens.

Mistakes that get labels rejected

• Paraphrasing the statement. “Made in a home kitchen” is not the Texas or Florida wording. Copy it exactly.
• Missing sub-ingredients. If the package of sprinkles lists six ingredients, your label needs them.
• Brand name only. “Grandma’s Best” needs a common name next to it.
• Unsupported claims. “Low sugar”, “healthy” or “high protein” can pull the product into federal nutrition labeling. Florida’s law says so directly. See the nutrition facts guide before printing any claim.
• Outdated labels. When you change a supplier or a recipe, the ingredient list and allergens can change. Reprint.

Before you print a batch

Labels connect to pricing: a printed label, bag and sticker are per-unit costs that belong in your unit price, as explained in how to price baked goods. Once the label is right, save it with the recipe so it changes when the recipe does.

1. Confirm your state’s statement and caps on the cottage food laws hub.
2. Enter the recipe by weight in the workbench and let the label maker order the ingredients.
3. Check the Contains line against every compound ingredient’s package.
4. Print one label at full size on your Avery sheet or thermal roll and read it as a customer would.