Cottage food label checklist

Your label must show

• The common name of the product, such as “Chocolate Chip Cookies”
• Your name, or your business name, and address (some states allow a registration number instead of the street address)
• Net weight or volume, in ounces and grams
• Ingredients in order of weight, heaviest first, including the ingredients inside ingredients (such as the flour in chocolate chips)
• Major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame
• The date it was made, or a lot number, if your state asks for it
• Your state’s required statement, word for word, in the required type size

Most states follow these basics; some add more, such as a registration number or a “not for resale” line. Your state’s page has the details and the official sources.