At a glance: Cottage food production operation
- Sales limit
- The state sets no yearly sales limit.
- License or permit
- No state permit or registration is required.
- Food safety training
- No food safety training is required by the state.
- Online orders
- Internet sales allowed only if both the baker and the buyer are in Missouri.
- Label statement
- “This food is not inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services or a local health department.”
Missouri also has 1 other way to sell, shown below.
About this information. Missouri’s rules are summarized from the latest publicly available state laws, regulations and agency guidance, last checked November 3, 2026. Laws change, and county and city health departments may have their own requirements. This is not legal advice. Before you sell, confirm the rules with your state or local health department.
Cottage food production operation
RSMo 196.298 · SB 525 (2014); amended by HB 1697 (2022), which removed the $50,000 cap and allowed in-state internet sales
Yearly sales limit
No state limit
No cap. HB 1697 (2022) removed the earlier $50,000 annual gross income limit (DHSS guidance, August 2023).
Permit or registration
Not required by the state
Food safety training
No
Where you make it
The individual's home: a primary residence that contains a kitchen and appliances designed for common residential usage (RSMo 196.298.1). Pets in the home: not addressed.
Selling in person
Directly to consumers. The statute says the food is produced 'for sale at the individual's home'. DHSS staff guidance (2024 job aid) says farmers markets, roadside stands and pop-up events are generally allowed in practice; local rules may be stricter.
Phone and online orders
Internet sales allowed only if both the baker and the buyer are in Missouri (RSMo 196.298.5). Phone orders: not addressed.
Delivery and shipping
Not addressed by the statute or DHSS
Selling out of state
No
Stores and wholesale
Not allowed: sales only directly to consumers (RSMo 196.298.1(2)(b)); DHSS says wholesale falls under its Manufactured Food Program
Examples you can sell
Only a baked good, a canned jam or jelly, or a dried herb or herb mix (RSMo 196.298.1(2)(a)). A baked good does not include a potentially hazardous food.
- Baked goods made in an oven that are not potentially hazardous, such as cookies, cakes, breads, brownies, muffins, fruit pies (DHSS guidance; Springfield-Greene County)
- Traditional fruit jams and jellies (DHSS job aid, 2024)
- Dried herbs and dried herb mixes, including air-dried or freeze-dried herbs (DHSS guidance and job aid)
Not allowed
- Potentially hazardous foods, e.g. meringue or cream pies (DHSS guidance)
- Baked goods garnished with fresh fruit (DHSS guidance)
- 'No Sugar Added', 'Sugar Free' and hot pepper jams and jellies (DHSS guidance)
- Candy, fudge and other foods that are not baked (fudge 'is not baked, so it is not cottage food' per DHSS job aid; may fit the Food Code stand exemption instead)
- Freeze-dried foods (other than dried herbs), cut produce, salsa, pickles, sauces such as BBQ and hot sauce (DHSS guidance)
- Acidified and low-acid canned foods (DHSS guidance)
- Meats, dairy, eggs, sprouts, wild mushrooms (DHSS guidance)
- Pet foods and treats (regulated by the Missouri Department of Agriculture)
- Roasted coffee beans (DHSS job aid: not cottage food)
The statement your labels must carry
This food is not inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services or a local health department.
Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option)
Missouri Food Code (June 3, 2013), 1-201.10(B) 'Food establishment' (3)(h), incorporated by 19 CSR 20-1.025 · 19 CSR 20-1.025, rescinded and readopted effective 2013-09-30
Yearly sales limit
No state limit
No cap stated in the Food Code
Permit or registration
No state permit; only where local codes allow this exemption
No permit; local health agency decides whether its code allows the exemptionLocal public health agency (county or city health department)Official pageFood safety training
No
Where you make it
Not stated in the Food Code. DHSS treats it as a home-based kitchen option (August 2023 guidance); the kitchen is not inspected.
Selling in person
From an individual stand, directly to the end consumer, only where local codes allow (for example at a farmers market)
Phone and online orders
Not addressed
Delivery and shipping
Not addressed
Selling out of state
Not addressed (Home and Hearth Baker supports in-state sales only)
Stores and wholesale
Not allowed: direct sale to the end consumer only; DHSS says wholesale needs Manufactured Food Program inspection
Examples you can sell
Only where local codes allow: non-potentially hazardous processed food, except low acid canned and acidified foods (21 CFR 113 and 114). Non-potentially hazardous means water activity 0.85 or less, or pH 4.6 or below (DHSS guidance).
- Breads, cookies, fruit pies (Food Code list)
- Jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters (Food Code list)
- Sorghum, cracked nuts (Food Code list)
- Packaged spices and spice mixes (Food Code list)
- Dry cookie, cake, bread and soup mixes (Food Code list)
- Fudge and freeze-dried candy, where local laws allow (DHSS job aid, 2024)
Not allowed
- Potentially hazardous foods
- Low acid canned foods and acidified foods (21 CFR 113 and 114)
- Any food the local health agency's code does not exempt (local codes may exempt fewer foods)
The statement your labels must carry
This product is prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to inspection by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Common questions about Missouri’s cottage food law
Can I sell baked goods from home in Missouri?
Yes. Missouri lets home bakers sell food made in their own kitchen in 2 ways: Cottage food production operation; Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option). Most baked goods that don’t need refrigeration qualify; see the examples on this page.
Do I need a license or permit to sell baked goods in Missouri?
Cottage food production operation: No state permit or registration is required. Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option): No state permit; only where local codes allow this exemption.
How much can I sell from home in Missouri?
Cottage food production operation: The state sets no yearly sales limit. Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option): The state sets no yearly sales limit.
Do I need food safety training in Missouri?
Cottage food production operation: No food safety training is required by the state. Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option): No food safety training is required by the state.
Can I sell online or ship my baked goods in Missouri?
Cottage food production operation: Online and phone orders: Internet sales allowed only if both the baker and the buyer are in Missouri. Delivery and shipping: Not addressed by the statute or DHSS. Selling to other states is not allowed. Individual stand exempt from the Food Code (local option): Online and phone orders: Not addressed. Delivery and shipping: Not addressed.
What must a cottage food label say in Missouri?
Labels must carry this statement: “This food is not inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services or a local health department.”. Most states also require the product name, ingredients in order of weight, allergens, net weight, and your name and address.
Home and Hearth Baker knows Missouri’s rules
The program puts Missouri’s required wording on every label for you, tracks your sales against any yearly limit, and updates for free when the rules change.
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