How to label cottage food in Maine (2026 guide)

If you sell baked goods from your home in Maine, every item you sell has to be labeled correctly. Maine's cottage food law — 7 M.R.S.A. §282 (Food Sovereignty Act) — is one of the most permissive (“Food Freedom”) laws in the country, but the labeling rules are specific, and getting them wrong means you lose the protection the law gives you.

This guide walks through exactly what goes on a Maine cottage food label, gives you a copy-paste template, and covers the edge cases that trip people up. It mirrors our most popular label walkthrough — how to label cottage food in Texas — adapted to Maine's rules.

Not legal advice. We're a small apparel brand that cares about home bakers. For anything serious, read the law directly or call Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

What every label must include

Per Maine's cottage food labeling rules, every product label must include:

1. Your business (operation) name and address.
2. A clear notice to the consumer that the food is homemade and not state-inspected (see below).

What Maine law actually says

Under the statewide license, label requirements apply for packaged products sold away from the home; however, no label is required for products sold directly from the producer's home. Labels for retail/market sales must include standard food labeling information. The Food Sovereignty Act municipal ordinance pathway may have different local requirements.

The 9 federal major allergens you must disclose

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soy
• Sesame (added federally in 2023 — frequently missed)

You don't have to list every ingredient in most states, but you must explicitly name any of these allergens that are present. “May contain” hedging isn't a substitute — if it's in there, name it. Sesame became the 9th federal major allergen in 2023 and is the one most older label templates miss.

The required disclaimer

Maine does not mandate one exact sentence, but you must clearly inform the buyer that the food is homemade and has not been inspected by the state. A safe, widely-accepted wording is below — confirm the current requirement with Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

This food was made in a home kitchen that is not inspected by the state or local health department and may contain allergens.

Copy-paste label template

Print it on a sticker, put it on the bag. Adjust the ingredient and allergen lines for each product.

The extra rules worth knowing

Selling through a store adds rules

The moment your product sits on a third-party shelf (a cafe, grocery, or gift shop), extra requirements usually kick in — often a production date on every package and sometimes store signage. Check the state page before you go wholesale.

Common labeling mistakes to avoid

1. Forgetting sesame as a major allergen (added federally in 2023 — many older templates list only 8).
2. Using “may contain” when the product actually contains the allergen. Name it if it's present.
3. Leaving off the required disclaimer because you printed small business-card-style labels. The disclaimer is non-negotiable.
4. Handing out unlabeled samples. If you're giving a free taste at a market, the rules still apply.
5. Using a P.O. Box where Maine requires a physical address (or use your state-issued ID number instead where allowed).

Quick checklist before you print

• Product common name (not just a brand name)
• Business name on label
• Address or state ID number on label
• All 9 major allergens disclosed if present (including sesame)
• Required disclaimer statement, verbatim
• Packaging prevents contamination

Official sources

• Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
• Statute: 7 M.R.S.A. §282 (Food Sovereignty Act)
• State extension guidance
• Forrager — Maine
• Crosodo Maine state guide

For the full breakdown of Maine's rules — sales cap, registration, county zoning — see the Crosodo Maine state guide. If your Maine county is missing from our directory, tell us and we'll add it next.