Selling dried sourdough starter in Mississippi
What Mississippi official sources actually say about selling dried sourdough starter under cottage food law — dry mix / non-tcs list supports — confirm. Last verified 2026-10-15.
If you keep a jar going in Mississippi, 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
- Mississippi Code 1972 §75-29-951 - Regulation of Cottage Food Operations (Title 75, Chapter 29, Article 21)
- Statute
- Miss. Code Ann. §75-29-951
- Agency
- Mississippi State Department of Health
- Dried-starter read
- Dry mix / non-TCS list supports — confirm
- Annual sales cap
- $35,000 annual (statute row)
- Registration / permit
- Registration required (statute row): No.
- Kitchen inspection
- Kitchen inspection (statute row): Upon-complaint.
- 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: Mississippi prohibits Internet sales, mail order, wholesale, and retail establishment sales. Cottage food products may only be sold through in-person direct-to-consumer channels including events, farmers markets, home sales, and roadside stands. Advertising on the Internet including social media is permitted even though sales through those channels are not.
County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the Mississippi state guide and your county page.
Labeling
All cottage food products must be prepackaged with a label containing: the name and address of the cottage food operation; the product name; ingredients in descending order by weight; net weight or volume; allergen information per federal requirements; nutritional information if any nutritional claim is made; and the statement in at least 10-point type: 'Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations.'
Walk the fields in the Mississippi 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.
- Mississippi State Department of Health food protection — last verified 2026-10-15
- Miss. Code Ann. §75-29-951
- Mississippi State Department of Health
- Mississippi extension
- Mississippi cottage food state guide
- Selling cottage food in Mississippi
- Mississippi labeling guide
- All 50 states — dried starter hub
Mississippi dried starter FAQ
Can I sell dried sourdough starter in Mississippi?
Mississippi's cottage / homemade path uses an approved non-TCS list. Crosodo's statute row and MSDH materials include dry baking mixes among allowed examples. Dried starter is not named. Confirm with MSDH before you treat a culture as a baking mix.
What is the Mississippi cottage-food sales cap?
$35,000 annual (statute row)
Can I ship dried sourdough starter out of Mississippi 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.
