Selling dried sourdough starter in New Hampshire

If you keep a jar going in New Hampshire, 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

Where in-state sales usually go

From the Crosodo statute row: Exempt operations (below sales cap) may sell at retail food stores without a license. Sales to restaurants, over the internet, by mail order, or to wholesalers/distributors require a Class H Homestead License under RSA 143-A:4. The department may inspect upon suspicion of imminent health hazard but does not conduct routine inspections of exempt operations.

County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the New Hampshire state guide and your county page.

Labeling

All packaged homestead food products must be labeled with: name, address, and phone number of the operation; product name; ingredients in descending order by weight; allergen information. Exempt operations must also state: 'This product is exempt from New Hampshire licensing and inspection.' Licensed operations must state: 'This product is made in a residential kitchen licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.' Net weight/volume in US customary and metric, and a product code/batch number, are also required. Label must include a 10-point font disclosure statement.

Walk the fields in the New Hampshire 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.

• NH DHHS homestead food licensing — last verified 2026-10-15
• RSA §143-A:12
• New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
• New Hampshire extension
• New Hampshire cottage food state guide
• Selling cottage food in New Hampshire
• New Hampshire labeling guide
• All 50 states — dried starter hub