Selling dried sourdough starter in Arkansas
What Arkansas official sources actually say about selling dried sourdough starter under cottage food law — not named — general non-tcs path — confirm. Last verified 2026-10-15.
If you keep a jar going in Arkansas, selling dried sourdough starter is a different cottage-food question than selling bread. The product is flour and water that you fermented, then dried. Official pages almost never use the words “dried starter.” This post only repeats what the current statute, agency page, or extension guide actually says — and where that source is silent.
Dried starter is not automatically a baked good
A loaf is baked. Dried starter is a dry culture. Some states publish a closed allowed-foods list (baked goods, jams, dried herbs). Some allow non-TCS / non-potentially-hazardous foods as a class. A few name baking mixes, dry mixtures, or — in Kansas — dehydrated sourdough starter. We do not stretch a baked-goods line into a dry-culture line unless a source supports that read.
The quick facts
- Law
- Arkansas Food Freedom Act (SB 248 / Act 1040)
- Statute
- A.C.A. §20-57-201 (Act 1040 of 2021)
- Agency
- Arkansas Department of Health
- Dried-starter read
- Not named — general non-TCS path — confirm
- Annual sales cap
- No annual sales cap published in the statute row
- Registration / permit
- Registration required (statute row): No.
- Kitchen inspection
- Kitchen inspection (statute row): No.
- Food-handler training
- Food-handler training (statute row): No.
- Last verified
- 2026-10-15
Where in-state sales usually go
Sales cap, registration, allowed foods, and every county — free on Crosodo.
From the Crosodo statute row: Retail and wholesale sales are allowed so long as the product is sold to an informed end consumer who can see the product label; sales to businesses for ingredient use or gift resale are not permitted.
County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the Arkansas state guide and your county page.
Labeling
Labels must include the producer's name, address, and phone number (or a state ag department ID number as an alternative), and all required product information. Online listings must display the same labeling information. Acidified foods require a unique batch number on labels.
Walk the fields in the Arkansas cottage food labeling guide. Do not copy another state's disclaimer.
Interstate / shipping across state lines
Cottage-food / homemade-food exemptions are in-state instruments. They do not, by themselves, authorize interstate commerce. Confirm manufactured-food licensing with the state agency and FDA facility registration for your facts. We do not invent a permit name or a fee.
Cottage-food exemptions are state instruments. They do not replace federal rules that apply when food enters interstate commerce. If you want to ship out of state, ask the state manufactured-food program and confirm FDA facility registration for your situation. We do not invent a license name or a fee here.
Official sources
Every number and product claim on this page is tied to a source opened on 2026-10-15, plus the Crosodo statute row and — where we have them — the regulations library notes for Maryland, Colorado, and Virginia.
- Arkansas Act 1040 of 2021 (PDF) — last verified 2026-10-15
- A.C.A. §20-57-201 (Act 1040 of 2021)
- Arkansas Department of Health
- UAEX Food Freedom Act
- Arkansas extension
- Arkansas cottage food state guide
- Selling cottage food in Arkansas
- Arkansas labeling guide
- All 50 states — dried starter hub
Arkansas dried starter FAQ
Can I sell dried sourdough starter in Arkansas?
The Arkansas Food Freedom Act (Act 1040 of 2021) covers homemade food that is not potentially hazardous. ADH / UAEX homemade-food guidance discusses dried and dehydrated products and baking mixes as non-TCS examples. Dried starter is not named in the act. Confirm with ADH that a homemade dried culture is a homemade food under the current guide — do not treat the May 'explicitly allows' sentence as a statute quote.
What is the Arkansas cottage-food sales cap?
No annual sales cap published in the statute row
Can I ship dried sourdough starter out of Arkansas under cottage food law?
Cottage-food / homemade-food exemptions are in-state instruments. They do not, by themselves, authorize interstate commerce. Confirm manufactured-food licensing with the state agency and FDA facility registration for your facts. We do not invent a permit name or a fee.
Crosodo Journal entries are recipe, craft, and cottage-food notes for home bakers. Recipes assume an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — start with the free state directory, check a product with Can I sell this?, or grab a label template. Not legal advice.
