How to label cottage food in South Carolina (2026 guide)

If you sell baked goods from your home in South Carolina, every item you sell has to be labeled correctly. South Carolina's cottage food law — S.C. Code §44-1-145 — is a solid, workable law, but the labeling rules are specific, and getting them wrong means you lose the protection the law gives you.

This guide walks through exactly what goes on a South Carolina cottage food label, gives you a copy-paste template, and covers the edge cases that trip people up. It mirrors our most popular label walkthrough — how to label cottage food in Texas — adapted to South Carolina's rules.

Not legal advice. We're a small apparel brand that cares about home bakers. For anything serious, read the law directly or call South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

What every label must include

Per South Carolina's cottage food labeling rules, every product label must include:

1. Your business name and home address — or a state-issued ID / registration / permit number in place of your address (most home bakers use the ID to keep their home address off every package).
2. An ingredient list in descending order by weight (major allergens called out).
3. The state's required disclaimer statement, verbatim (exact wording below).

What South Carolina law actually says

Labels must include: name and address of the home-based food production operation (or department-issued ID number if operator prefers not to disclose address); name of product; ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight; and the conspicuous all-caps disclaimer 'PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.'

The 9 federal major allergens you must disclose

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soy
• Sesame (added federally in 2023 — frequently missed)

You don't have to list every ingredient in most states, but you must explicitly name any of these allergens that are present. “May contain” hedging isn't a substitute — if it's in there, name it. Sesame became the 9th federal major allergen in 2023 and is the one most older label templates miss.

The required disclaimer

South Carolina requires this statement, word for word, on the label:

PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.

Copy-paste label template

Print it on a sticker, put it on the bag. Adjust the ingredient and allergen lines for each product.

The extra rules worth knowing

All-caps disclaimer wording

South Carolina is one of the states that specifies the disclaimer in ALL CAPS. Match the capitalization exactly — it's a distinctive requirement and easy to get dinged on.

Common labeling mistakes to avoid

1. Forgetting sesame as a major allergen (added federally in 2023 — many older templates list only 8).
2. Using “may contain” when the product actually contains the allergen. Name it if it's present.
3. Leaving off the required disclaimer because you printed small business-card-style labels. The disclaimer is non-negotiable.
4. Handing out unlabeled samples. If you're giving a free taste at a market, the rules still apply.
5. Using a P.O. Box where South Carolina requires a physical address (or use your state-issued ID number instead where allowed).

Quick checklist before you print

• Product common name (not just a brand name)
• Business name on label
• Address or state ID number on label
• All 9 major allergens disclosed if present (including sesame)
• Required disclaimer statement, verbatim
• Ingredients in descending order by weight
• Packaging prevents contamination

Official sources

• South Carolina Department of Agriculture
• Statute: S.C. Code §44-1-145
• State extension guidance
• Forrager — South Carolina
• Crosodo South Carolina state guide

For the full breakdown of South Carolina's rules — sales cap, registration, county zoning — see the Crosodo South Carolina state guide. If your South Carolina county is missing from our directory, tell us and we'll add it next.