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Cottage Food Labels

Louisiana cottage food label requirements

Louisiana's cottage food law (La. R.S. 40:4.9) lets home producers of low-risk foods sell without a food permit up to $100,000 a year in gross sales (Act 801 of 2026, effective August 1, 2026, up from $30,000), provided they hold a parish sales tax certificate. Every product must carry a label clearly indicating the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility; the statute fixes no wording, so the disclosure shown repeats its test. Home-baked breads, cakes, cookies and pies may not be sold for resale.

Required home-kitchen disclosure

“This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility.”

This is a conservative disclosure based on your state's rule. Confirm the exact wording with your state before printing.

La. R.S. 40:4.9(D)(1) requires a label that clearly indicates the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility and fixes no wording, so the sentence above repeats the statute's own test. Raw honey that is not pasteurized, filtered or otherwise processed to remove its pollen is exempt from the label.

Official Louisiana source
Annual sales cap
$100,000

Act 801 of 2026 raised the limit from $30,000 to $100,000 in gross annual sales, effective August 1, 2026 (La. R.S. 40:4.9(B)).

Permit / registration
Not required
Online sales
Allowed

Breads, cakes, cookies and pies made at home may not be sold to any retail business or to anyone for resale (40:4.9(C)); other low-risk foods carry no such bar. The statute is silent on internet sales.

Retail / wholesale
Allowed

Permits & training: No state food permit, license, or food-safety training is required for low-risk foods under La. R.S. 40:4.9, but a producer may not sell without a current sales tax certificate from the parish sales and use tax collector (40:4.9(D)(2)). Employing anyone to help make breads, cakes, cookies or pies removes the exemption (40:4.9(A)(1)(b)).

What goes on a Louisiana cottage label

  • Product name
  • Producer/business name and full physical home address (no P.O. box)
  • Ingredients in descending order by weight
  • Allergen declaration (FALCPA)
  • Net quantity (dual units: oz and g)
  • Label clearly indicating the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility (raw unfiltered honey exempt)

Scaling past cottage food?

Selling into retail or wholesale, shipping across state lines, or making a claim like “sugar free” usually means your product needs a full FDA Nutrition Facts panel, not just a cottage label. Panelry builds one from your recipe with exact FDA rounding for $9, no subscription.

Build an FDA nutrition label →

Make your Louisiana label for free

Prefilled for Louisiana. Add your product and ingredients, and export a compliant label in minutes.

This is your statement of identity, so use the common name of the food (“Strawberry Rhubarb Jam”). A brand name alone only works when it is obvious what the food is (21 CFR 101.3(b)).

Auto-ordered by weight

Using a packaged product? Tap on its row to pull the sub-ingredients off the label automatically. Or type them yourself in parentheses, like “Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Cocoa, Cocoa Butter)”.

Auto-detected from your ingredients. Tap to add or remove. Always double-check.

This reads your ingredient list only. It cannot know what else your kitchen handles: a shared mixer, flour in the air, one fryer for two products. If an allergen you do not use could still reach this food, that is a “may contain” decision only you can make; it is voluntary, and it never substitutes for declaring an allergen you actually use.

Optional, but it sets how large the net weight has to print. 21 CFR 101.1 measures the principal display panel differently for each shape.

Louisiana home-kitchen disclosure

This is a conservative disclosure based on your state's rule. Confirm the exact wording with your state before selling. Official source ↗

La. R.S. 40:4.9(D)(1) requires a label that clearly indicates the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility and fixes no wording, so the sentence above repeats the statute's own test. Raw honey that is not pasteurized, filtered or otherwise processed to remove its pollen is exempt from the label.

Also required in Louisiana

Panelry puts the product name, business name and address, ingredients, allergens, net weight and the disclosure on your label. Your state asks for these too, and you will need to add them yourself:

  • Label clearly indicating the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility (raw unfiltered honey exempt)

Your county may add to this

Everything Panelry knows about Louisiana is state law. In many states the body that actually registers you, inspects your kitchen and answers complaints is your county or city health department, and some add requirements of their own: where you may sell, what you must display on a stall, sometimes the label itself. They are also the people to ask when a rule here does not match what you have been told locally.

Live preview

Free
Your Product Name
INGREDIENTS: List your ingredients to auto-order them by weight.
This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility.
Label made with Panelry · getpanelry.com/label

Add product name, business name, business address, at least one ingredient, net weight to export a complete label.

Need a Nutrition Facts panel too?

Most home makers are exempt from nutrition labeling under the FDA's small-seller exemption, but it holds only while the label, the listing and your ads carry no nutrition claim or nutrition information at all. One “sugar free” or “high protein” anywhere, including an online listing, and the food needs a full panel (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)). Panelry builds one from this same recipe: your ingredients and weights carry over, and you match each to a USDA food.

Build your Nutrition Facts panel

Where this goes on the package

The name of the food and the net weight belong on the principal display panel, the face a shopper sees (21 CFR 101.3(a), 101.7(a)). The net weight goes in the bottom 30 percent of that face, unless the face is 5 square inches or smaller (21 CFR 101.7(f)).The ingredient list, allergen statement, your name and address and any nutrition panel may go on that same face or on the information panel, the part of the label immediately to the right of it as the buyer faces the package. If that part is unusable, such as a folded flap or a can end, use the next panel to the right; if the lid is the face, any adjacent panel works (21 CFR 101.2(a), (b)).Wherever they go, they have to appear in one place with nothing in between: no artwork, marketing copy or barcode running between the ingredient list and the address (21 CFR 101.2(e)).

Verify before selling

Cottage-food rules vary by state and change often. Confirm your label against your state's current requirements. Panelry is not legal advice.

Louisiana cottage food label FAQ

What must a cottage food label include in Louisiana?
In Louisiana, a cottage food label typically includes: Product name; Producer/business name and full physical home address (no P.O. box); Ingredients in descending order by weight; Allergen declaration (FALCPA); Net quantity (dual units: oz and g); Label clearly indicating the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility (raw unfiltered honey exempt). It must also carry the required home-kitchen disclosure shown above.
What is the required home-kitchen disclosure in Louisiana?
“This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility.” This is a conservative reading of the state's rule. Confirm the exact wording with the official source before printing.
Do I need a permit or registration to sell cottage food in Louisiana?
Louisiana does not require a general cottage-food permit or registration for most sellers. No state food permit, license, or food-safety training is required for low-risk foods under La. R.S. 40:4.9, but a producer may not sell without a current sales tax certificate from the parish sales and use tax collector (40:4.9(D)(2)). Employing anyone to help make breads, cakes, cookies or pies removes the exemption (40:4.9(A)(1)(b)). Always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above.
Can I sell cottage food online in Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana allows cottage food to be sold online. Check the official source for current rules on delivery and shipping.
Is there a sales cap for cottage food in Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana caps annual cottage food sales at $100,000 gross.
Do I need a Nutrition Facts panel for cottage food in Louisiana?
Usually not for direct cottage-food sales. Most sellers only need the ingredient, allergen, net-weight, and disclosure label this page's free tool makes: 21 CFR 101.9(j)(1) exempts direct-to-consumer sellers with up to $50,000 in food sales. You do need a panel once you make a nutrient claim like “sugar free,” which voids the exemption, or once you outgrow it. Retail and wholesale buyers generally require one either way.

Cottage food labels in other states

Verify before selling

Cottage-food rules change often. Confirm Louisiana's current requirements with the official source above before printing or selling. Panelry is not affiliated with any government agency and does not provide legal advice. See our disclaimer.

Last verified September 2026 against Louisiana's statute or rule (linked above) · Panelry