Crosodo research · July 23, 2026
18 official cottage food label examples
Real state and county examples, preserved as screenshots and linked back to their official sources—with a clear warning when an example is illustrative, archived, or outdated.
Executive summary
What official labels actually look like
Cottage food label content is usually established by state law or statewide agency rules. Local agencies may still register, permit, inspect, review labels, enforce zoning, or publish implementation examples unless state law preempts those roles.
We began with Crosodo’s existing state-resource and state-labeling workbooks, then audited all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. We found 17 jurisdictions with screenshot-ready material and preserved 18 distinct visuals. Three are county-level examples: Los Angeles County, California; Prince George’s County, Maryland; and Matagorda County, Texas.
The gallery includes state agencies, county agencies, official state repositories, and public-university extension programs. Each entry links to the hosting page and the direct image or PDF so you can verify the source yourself.
Short answer: labels are usually governed at the state level
Most states establish the cottage food label fields and required disclosure in statute, regulation, or statewide agency guidance. Counties and cities often handle registration, permits, review, zoning, or enforcement. The allocation is jurisdiction-specific, and some states preempt local food-safety regulation.
County examples are valuable, with limits
Los Angeles County and Prince George’s County publish useful implementation examples. Matagorda County also hosts a concrete visual, but its wording predates Texas’s 2025 law. A county sample should never override a newer statewide requirement.
Use this as pattern research, not a copy deck
Open the linked current official page before production. Confirm the exact disclosure, type size, allergen format, address or registration-ID option, permit number, net quantity, and product-specific requirements for your jurisdiction.
State vs. local
Are cottage food labels governed by the state or the county?
Usually the state. State law or a statewide agency normally establishes the required label content. Local agencies may still register, permit, inspect, review labels, enforce zoning, or publish implementation examples unless state law limits those roles. The practical question is therefore not simply “state or county,” but who writes the label rule, who administers the operator, and whether state law preempts local action.
California
CDPH publishes statewide label requirements, while registration and Class B permitting run through local environmental-health agencies. That is why a county-issued visual can add a county name and permit or registration number without replacing the state framework.
Illinois
State law and IDPH guidance establish the framework, while an operator registers with the local health department where the operator lives.
Massachusetts
State retail-food rules apply, while retail residential kitchens are permitted and inspected by the local board of health.
Texas
Current state guidance generally prevents local public-health entities from regulating cottage-food production or charging a local production permit fee, subject to limited emergency powers.
What the examples have in common
Six recurring label fields
Identity
Product name and producer or business identity.
Ingredients
Ingredients in descending order by weight, including sub-ingredients where required.
Allergens
A plain-language major-allergen declaration or an accepted ingredient-list method.
Quantity
Net weight or net quantity in the jurisdiction’s required format.
Traceability
Address, registration ID, permit number, county, date, or another locally required field.
Disclosure
A home-kitchen, inspection, licensing, or cottage-food statement—often with exact wording.
These are visual patterns, not a universal checklist. Exact disclosures, address rules, allergen methods, font sizes, registration IDs, and product-specific requirements differ by jurisdiction.
Source gallery
The 18 official examples
Open the official page beside each image before borrowing its structure. A government-hosted example can still contain an old sample date or wording that has since changed.
California · State agency
CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products
About this example: Current state handout, revised 1/2025. Complete chocolate-chip-cookie label.
California · County - Los Angeles
LA County Close Up on Food Labels
About this example: County implementation example. Shows county name and permit or registration number.
Colorado · State agency
CDPHE 5-inch Avery label example
About this example: The current official page links this front and back template. Its sample production date is illustrative and reads 2016.
Florida · Public university extension
UF/IFAS Cottage Food in Florida
About this example: Official UF/IFAS Extension example, paired in the audit with the current FDACS state-law page.
Hawaii · State agency
Hawaii DOH Homemade Food Products FAQ
About this example: January 29, 2026 FAQ with a formatted granola label example.
Illinois · Public university extension
Illinois Extension cottage food labeling
About this example: Current public-extension example. The label includes the local-health registration number and county.
Kentucky · State agency
Kentucky home-based processor label guide
About this example: Current guide includes the updated allergen list. The example itself displays an illustrative 2018 date.
Maryland · County - Prince George's
Prince George's County labeling requirements
About this example: County sample shown. The asset URL points to Maryland's official fillable sample labels.
Michigan · State agency
MDARD cottage food labeling
About this example: Current state page with a complete chocolate-chip-cookie example rendered in HTML.
Montana · State agency
Montana DPHHS cottage food label example
About this example: Official state page contains a discrete cottage food label image.
Nevada · State publications repository
Nevada cottage food operation guide
About this example: Official state publications repository. Verify wording against current health-district requirements before use.
New York · State agency
New York Department of Agriculture home processing
About this example: Current state page with a complete cookie label example.
Oklahoma · State agency
Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act label
About this example: Official image remains embedded on the current Homemade Food Freedom Act section.
South Carolina · State agency
SCDA Home-Based Food Production Law Guide
About this example: 2025 guide published on the current state site with an annotated sample label.
Texas · County - Matagorda
Matagorda County cottage food sample label
About this example: Do not copy verbatim. This county-hosted visual predates Texas's September 1, 2025 statewide disclosure and registration changes.
Utah · State agency
Utah cottage food sample honey labels
About this example: July 2025 state sample for honey packages.
Washington · State agency
WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit Application Packet
About this example: Official packet shows two complete allergen-labeling methods.
West Virginia · State agency
WVDA Labeling Requirements 2026
About this example: 2026 state handout with two annotated examples.
Sources
How these examples were chosen
Each image comes from an official state, county, state-library, or public-university source. We only included examples that were clearly visible and readable on those sites.
Missing a state does not mean no official example exists. New Jersey, for example, publishes a written sample but not a discrete visual in this edition. Always open the linked official page before you print — wording and dates can change.
Official sources
- 01
California · CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products
State agency · PDF p. 2
- 02
California · LA County Close Up on Food Labels
County - Los Angeles · PDF p. 7
- 03
- 04
Florida · UF/IFAS Cottage Food in Florida
Public university extension · PDF p. 2
- 05
- 06
Illinois · Illinois Extension cottage food labeling
Public university extension · Web image
- 07
Kentucky · Kentucky home-based processor label guide
State agency · PDF p. 1
- 08
Maryland · Prince George's County labeling requirements
County - Prince George's · County web page
- 09
- 10
Montana · Montana DPHHS cottage food label example
State agency · Web image
- 11
Nevada · Nevada cottage food operation guide
State publications repository · PDF p. 10
- 12
New York · New York Department of Agriculture home processing
State agency · Web table
- 13
Oklahoma · Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act label
State agency · Web image
- 14
South Carolina · SCDA Home-Based Food Production Law Guide
State agency · PDF p. 35 (printed p. 33)
- 15
Texas · Matagorda County cottage food sample label
County - Matagorda · PDF p. 1
- 16
- 17
Washington · WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit Application Packet
State agency · PDF p. 7
- 18
Prepared by Crosodo · Terahertz, Inc. · crosodo.com/resources
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