Crosodo research · September 2, 2026
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and linked back to their official sources—with a clear warning when an example is illustrative, archived, or outdated.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. This September 2026 pass expands the cited gallery beyond the July 18-crop set. Official agency graphics come first. Agency HTML/PDF tables are tagged official_text_example. Cooperative-extension samples are tagged extension, not official statute.
We began with Crosodo’s existing state-resource and state-labeling workbooks, then audited all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. The September 2026 pass found 27 jurisdictions with screenshot-ready material and preserved 29 distinct cited visuals. County-level examples remain Los Angeles County, California, and the outdated Matagorda County, Texas crop. The Prince George’s County fillable PDF 404s; use the statewide Maryland 2025 guidelines instead.
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 publishes a useful implementation example. 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 cited 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.
Arizona · State agency
ADHS Labeling Requirements annotated cookie tag
About this example: Official ADHS graphic. Exact sentence includes pet allergens. Optional developmental-disabilities line is required only when it applies.
California · State agency
CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products
About this example: Current state handout, revised 1/2025. Complete chocolate-chip-cookie label. HSC locks 12-point type.
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. Not a statewide disclaimer.
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. The package disclaimer is the longer allergen-list statute sentence, not only the POS sign.
District of Columbia · State agency
DC Health 25-K DCMR 104.3 sample
About this example: Official text example of Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not a formatted sticker graphic.
Florida · Public university extension
UF/IFAS Cottage Food in Florida
About this example: Extension sample, tagged extension. Paired 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: Extension sample, tagged extension. Includes the local-health registration number and the two-sentence 410 ILCS 625/4 notice.
Indiana · State agency
Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook jam sample
About this example: Official IDOH handbook sample. Disclaimer must be at least 10-point type and include NOT FOR RESALE.
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. Statute lock is unhyphenated 'home produced'.
Michigan · State agency
MDARD cottage food labeling
About this example: Official text example rendered as an HTML table. Statute sentence is lowercase; agency examples may capitalize it.
Minnesota · State agency
MDA Cottage Food Training product-label slide
About this example: Official MDA training graphic. Slide prints the statute sentence in all caps. Paid packets use the statute sentence-case form.
Mississippi · Public university extension
MSU Extension P3545 strawberry-jelly example
About this example: Extension sample, tagged extension. POD-01-24. Disclaimer matches Miss. Code §75-29-951.
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. Local-health cottage food continues through June 2027.
New Hampshire · Public university extension
UNH Extension homestead example label
About this example: Extension sample, tagged extension. Exempt-path sentence only. Licensed homestead kitchens use a different DHHS sentence.
New Jersey · State agency
NJDOH Cottage Food FAQ sample label
About this example: Official text example. Cited crop of the agency HTML table, not a restyled sticker.
New York · State agency
New York Department of Agriculture home processing
About this example: Official text example. AGM presents 'Made in a Home Kitchen' as an acceptable phrase, not the only allowed wording.
North Carolina · State agency
NCDA&CS Home Processor application label example
About this example: Inspected home-processor program. Official text example has no homemade disclaimer. Do not invent one.
Ohio · State agency
ODA cottage food fact-sheet cookie label
About this example: Official annotated graphic. ORC 3715.023 requires 'This product is home produced.' in 10-point type.
Oklahoma · State agency
Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act label
About this example: Official image remains embedded on the current Homemade Food Freedom Act section. Package sentence does not include the extra placard allergen line.
Oregon · Public university extension
OSU Extension EM 9192 Charlie's Cookies sample
About this example: Extension sample, tagged extension. Statute lock is the shorter homemade / not inspected fragment. The figure also mentions retailer display separation.
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. Cite §44-1-143.
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: Cottage path locks the words Home Produced. Homemade Act path is a different sentence. Dual path — do not collapse them.
Vermont · State agency
VDH exempt-establishment chocolate-chip example
About this example: Official text example. Act 42 (2025) did not replace this sample.
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. Emergency rule adds 'or home kitchen' to the disclaimer.
Wisconsin · State agency
DATCP Selling Home-Canned Foods cherries label
About this example: Pickle Bill / home-canned path only. Separate POS sign: These canned goods are homemade and not subject to state inspection. Home-baker exemption is a different rule.
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. Extension samples are labeled extension. Agency HTML or PDF tables are labeled official text examples. Always open the linked official page before you print — wording and dates can change.
Official sources
- 01
Arizona · ADHS Labeling Requirements annotated cookie tag
State agency · PDF p. 1
- 02
California · CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products
State agency · PDF p. 2
- 03
California · LA County Close Up on Food Labels
County - Los Angeles · PDF p. 7
- 04
- 05
District of Columbia · DC Health 25-K DCMR 104.3 sample
State agency · D.C. Register Vol. 64 No. 52, Dec 29, 2017, §104.3
- 06
Florida · UF/IFAS Cottage Food in Florida
Public university extension · PDF p. 2
- 07
- 08
Illinois · Illinois Extension cottage food labeling
Public university extension · Web image
- 09
Indiana · Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook jam sample
State agency · Handbook p. 9
- 10
Kentucky · Kentucky home-based processor label guide
State agency · PDF p. 1
- 11
- 12
Minnesota · MDA Cottage Food Training product-label slide
State agency · Training slide 70
- 13
Mississippi · MSU Extension P3545 strawberry-jelly example
Public university extension · PDF p. 4
- 14
Montana · Montana DPHHS cottage food label example
State agency · Web image
- 15
Nevada · Nevada cottage food operation guide
State publications repository · PDF p. 10
- 16
New Hampshire · UNH Extension homestead example label
Public university extension · Fact sheet, updated March 2026
- 17
New Jersey · NJDOH Cottage Food FAQ sample label
State agency · FAQ HTML table
- 18
New York · New York Department of Agriculture home processing
State agency · Web table
- 19
North Carolina · NCDA&CS Home Processor application label example
State agency · Application PDF, LABEL EXAMPLE
- 20
Ohio · ODA cottage food fact-sheet cookie label
State agency · Fact sheet p. 2, February 2023
- 21
Oklahoma · Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act label
State agency · Web image
- 22
Oregon · OSU Extension EM 9192 Charlie's Cookies sample
Public university extension · EM 9192, March 2026, Figure 2
- 23
South Carolina · SCDA Home-Based Food Production Law Guide
State agency · PDF p. 35 (printed p. 33)
- 24
Texas · Matagorda County cottage food sample label
County - Matagorda · PDF p. 1
- 25
Utah · Utah cottage food sample honey labels
State agency · One-page PDF, July 2025
- 26
Vermont · VDH exempt-establishment chocolate-chip example
State agency · July 2024 summary, p. 2
- 27
Washington · WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit Application Packet
State agency · PDF p. 7
- 28
- 29
Wisconsin · DATCP Selling Home-Canned Foods cherries label
State agency · FD-PUB 61, 12/2022
Prepared by Crosodo · Terahertz, Inc. · crosodo.com/resources
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