Selling dried sourdough starter in New Mexico

If you keep a jar going in New Mexico, 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: Sales must be direct to consumers within New Mexico. Products may not be sold to restaurants, wholesalers, distributors, or outside New Mexico. Internet, mail, and phone sales directly to consumers are permitted. The NMED Food Safety Program does not have jurisdiction in Bernalillo County and Albuquerque (which have their own programs); those areas may operate mandatory or voluntary permit systems.

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

Labeling

Sellers must provide to consumers: the name, home address, telephone number, and email address of the processor; the common or usual name of the food item; ingredients in descending order of predominance; and the statement: 'This product is home produced and is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.' This information must be on a package label, bulk container label, point-of-sale placard, or webpage depending on sale method. For telephone/custom orders, a label is not required but verbal allergen disclosure is mandatory.

Walk the fields in the New Mexico 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.

• NMED Homemade Food Act — last verified 2026-10-15
• NMSA §25-12-3 (Homemade Food Act)
• New Mexico Environment Department
• New Mexico extension
• New Mexico cottage food state guide
• Selling cottage food in New Mexico
• New Mexico labeling guide
• All 50 states — dried starter hub