A label is often the first thing a cottage food maker has to get right and the first thing a buyer reads. Several state agencies publish free labeling guides, checklists and sample labels, and those official documents are a better starting point than a generic template from a craft site. This guide points to those free resources, explains the tools that make label work easier and links to each state law page for the full rules.
Note: This article is general information, not legal advice. Label rules differ by state and change over time. Each state guide on Cottage Food Directory lists that state's label requirements with official sources, and the state or local agency has the final word.
Start with the state's own guide
A template only helps if it matches the state's rules, and the rules differ in ways that matter. Florida requires the name and address of the cottage food operation, while Washington says a home address is not required and asks for the business name and permit number instead. Florida requires its home-kitchen statement in at least 10-point type, and Washington requires its statement in at least 11-point type. Sources: Fla. Stat. 500.80(3); RCW 69.22.020(3); WSDA Cottage Food Operation.
These free agency resources work as label templates or checklists:
- Washington: The WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide shows a numbered sample label, front and back, and walks through building an ingredient statement for sugar cookies step by step. See the Washington cottage food law page.
- Illinois: The Illinois Department of Public Health publishes a two-page cottage food labeling guide and checklist that lists every required item, including the processing date, the local registration number and the required home-kitchen statement. See the Illinois cottage food law page.
- Vermont: The Vermont Department of Health's home-based food page lists the required label items and shows a sample label for chocolate chip cookies with allergens. See the Vermont cottage food law page.
- Minnesota: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's cottage food guidance lists the required label items and gives worded examples of the two accepted ways to declare allergens. See the Minnesota cottage food law page.
- California: The California Department of Public Health's Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products, revised January 2025, lists the required items and shows a sample principal display panel. The words "Made in a Home Kitchen" (or "Repackaged in a Home Kitchen," as applicable) must appear in 12-point type on the principal display panel. The label also needs the name, city and ZIP code of the operation; the registration or permit number and the name of the county of the local enforcement agency that issued it; and the net quantity in both English and metric units. CDPH says Nutrition Facts panels generally are not required unless the label makes a nutrient content or health claim. See the California cottage food law page.
States without a published sample label still list their requirements in the statute or on the agency page. Each state's cottage food law page on Cottage Food Directory, such as the Florida cottage food law page, has a labeling section with those requirements and links to the official text.
Get the label reviewed before printing a batch
Some agencies look at labels before a maker starts selling, which can save the cost of reprinting.
- Alabama: The Alabama Department of Public Health tells cottage food producers to take a sample product label, a completed cottage food review form and a food safety course certificate to the county health department for review. Fees vary by county. Source: ADPH Cottage Food. See the Alabama cottage food law page.
- Washington: WSDA asks applicants to submit labels with the permit application and to include a "Permit #:____" placeholder, because the permit number is issued only after the home kitchen passes its licensing inspection. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Operation; WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide.
- Southern Nevada: The Southern Nevada Health District says that since July 1, 2023, label review for cottage food has been voluntary and that it offers label review as a fee-for-service option. It points makers to the FDA Food Labeling Guide for the federal requirements. Source: SNHD Cottage Food FAQ. See the Nevada cottage food law page.
Tools that make label work easier
None of the tools below is required by law, but each one helps with a specific part of the label.
A kitchen scale
State rules require ingredients to be listed in descending order by weight, which means the heaviest ingredient comes first. Measuring cups do not settle that question, because a cup of one ingredient can weigh far more or less than a cup of another. In the WSDA sugar cookie example, 2 cups of flour weigh 8.5 ounces, 1 cup of butter weighs 8 ounces and 2/3 cup of sugar weighs 4.7 ounces. Twice the volume of flour weighs only half an ounce more than the butter. Flour is listed first, butter second and sugar last. Weighing each ingredient once per recipe settles the order. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide; CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products.
The ingredient labels already in the pantry
Washington requires sub-ingredients, which are the ingredients inside an ingredient. WSDA says "flour" alone is not acceptable and the label must list what is in the flour, such as niacin, reduced iron and folic acid, which can be copied from the flour bag. WSDA also tells makers to update the ingredient statement when they buy new ingredients. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Operation; WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide. Keeping the packaging, or a photo of each ingredient label, makes that update quick.
An allergen checklist
The FDA lists nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Source: FDA: Food Allergies. Minnesota describes the two accepted ways to declare them: in parentheses after the ingredient, such as "flour (wheat)," or in a "Contains" statement right after the ingredient list. Source: MDA Cottage Food Law Guidance. Tree nuts need the specific nut. WSDA says "nuts" is not acceptable and the label must name the nut, such as almonds. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Operation.
A "may contain" advisory is a different thing. In Washington, WSDA says that statement is not required and does not replace naming the allergens actually in the food. Other states differ. Alabama requires a disclaimer that the food may contain allergens, and the required Illinois home-kitchen statement mentions common allergens. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide; ADPH Cottage Food; IDPH cottage food labeling guide and checklist.
Printer, label sheets or a pen
Printed labels from a home printer or a label printer are common, but at least one state accepts handwriting. WSDA says hand-printed labels are acceptable if they are clearly legible, written in durable, permanent ink and large enough to equal the 11-point type requirement. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Operation. Whatever the method, the required statement has to meet the state's minimum type size, such as 10-point in Florida and Vermont. Alabama requires all label information in at least 10-point type. Sources: Fla. Stat. 500.80(3)(g); Vermont Department of Health; ADPH Cottage Food.
QR codes and websites, as extras only
A QR code can send a buyer to a menu or an online shop, but it is not a substitute for the label. WSDA says QR codes and website links cannot replace the information that must be displayed on the label. A website and phone number may be added. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide.
Nutrition Facts: usually not needed unless the label makes a claim
Most cottage food labels do not carry a Nutrition Facts panel, but a claim changes that. Florida requires nutrition information if any nutritional claim is made. Vermont says a Nutrition Facts panel is required for claims about nutrient content or health benefits, such as "sugar-free," "low fat" or "reduces risk of heart disease." WSDA gives "Low Sugar" and "High Protein" as examples of claims that trigger the requirement. Sources: Fla. Stat. 500.80(3)(f); Vermont Department of Health; WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide.
At the federal level, the FDA describes two kinds of small business nutrition labeling exemptions. One covers retailers with annual gross sales of no more than $500,000, or with annual gross sales of foods to consumers of no more than $50,000, and needs no notice to the FDA. The other covers low-volume products from businesses with fewer than an average of 100 full-time equivalent employees and fewer than 100,000 units of the product sold in the United States in 12 months, and it requires a notice filed with the FDA every year. Low-volume products that carry nutrition claims do not qualify. Starting Oct. 5, 2026, the FDA says online notices for that exemption must go through its FDA Industry Systems site. Source: FDA: Small Business Nutrition Labeling Exemption. Makers unsure which exemption applies should check with the FDA or their state agency.
When a label will not fit
Some products are hard to label. Washington says wedding cakes, birthday cakes and other specialty cakes that are not easily packaged must come with an ingredient sheet carrying all the label information, and that a seller of a volume of baked goods, such as a dozen muffins, may supply a single ingredient sheet. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Operation. In Minnesota, labels may be put on packages before a market or handed to the customer when the food is dispensed. Source: MDA Cottage Food Law Guidance. Florida, by contrast, allows only products that are prepackaged with a label affixed. Source: Fla. Stat. 500.80(3).
A quick label checklist
- Open the state law page. Find the labeling section on the Cottage Food Directory law page for the state where the food is made and sold.
- Use the agency's guide or sample label if one exists.
- Weigh each ingredient to set the order.
- Copy sub-ingredients from the packages where the state requires them.
- Name every major allergen, including the specific tree nut.
- Set the required statement in the exact wording and at least the minimum type size.
- Skip health and nutrient claims unless the label will carry a Nutrition Facts panel.
- Ask for a review where the state or county offers one, before printing a large batch.
Frequently asked questions
Can I handwrite my cottage food labels?
Washington allows handwritten labels if they are clearly legible, written in durable, permanent ink and large enough to equal the 11-point type requirement. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Operation. Other states set their own rules, so check the state law page and the agency.
Can I put a QR code on my label instead of the ingredient list?
Washington does not allow it. WSDA says QR codes and website links cannot replace the information required on the label. Source: WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide.
Can I call my cookies "low sugar" without a Nutrition Facts panel?
Washington, Florida and Vermont do not allow it. A nutrient content claim such as "Low Sugar" requires nutrition labeling in those states. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Labeling Guide; Fla. Stat. 500.80(3)(f); Vermont Department of Health.
Can I leave my home address off the label?
It depends on the state. Washington says the home address is not required, and the label shows the business name and permit number instead. Florida requires the name and address of the cottage food operation. Sources: WSDA Cottage Food Operation; Fla. Stat. 500.80(3)(a). The label guide for buyers covers a few other states.
Can I get my label checked before I sell?
In Alabama, the county health department reviews a sample label along with the review form and food safety certificate. In Southern Nevada, label review is voluntary and offered for a fee. Sources: ADPH Cottage Food; SNHD Cottage Food FAQ.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed Oct. 22, 2026.