Selling dried sourdough starter in Virginia

If you keep a jar going in Virginia, 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

May printed 'no cap for low-risk dry foods' and mentioned $9,000 for acidified foods. Regulations library rows va-cottage-sales-cap-acidified and va-cottage-allowed-foods-nontcs match that split. HB 402 (effective July 1, 2026) changed where you may sell, not the dry-mixture list.

Where in-state sales usually go

From the Crosodo statute row: As amended by HB 402 (Acts of Assembly 2026 Ch. 605), effective July 1, 2026: exempt foods may be sold at any location, through the internet, or by phone to an individual in Virginia for their own consumption, and delivered in person, by mail, or by delivery service in Virginia. Still no resale, consignment, restaurants, retail food establishments, or out-of-state sales. Local zoning still applies. The VDACS home-food-processor FAQ PDF is stale (still says no online sales); the statute controls. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB402

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

Labeling

Label on the principal display panel (or a sign for packages too small) must include: name of the person preparing the food, physical address or P.O. box number, telephone number, date the food product was processed, and the statement NOT FOR RESALE PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. HB 402 added the P.O. box option. Internet advertising is allowed.

Walk the fields in the Virginia 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.

• Va. Code § 3.2-5130 — last verified 2026-10-15
• Va. Code §3.2-5130 (HB 402 / 2026 c. 605)
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• VDACS home food processors
• Virginia extension
• Virginia cottage food state guide
• Selling cottage food in Virginia
• Virginia labeling guide
• All 50 states — dried starter hub