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How to label infused oil to sell

Garlic in oil is the single most dangerous thing a home producer can bottle. It is a textbook botulism risk, and almost every state cottage food law names it explicitly as prohibited.

What infused oil labels get wrong

  • Fresh garlic or herbs in oil create an anaerobic, low-acid environment where Clostridium botulinum can grow. Nearly every cottage food law bans it outright.
  • A dried-herb infusion is a different product from a fresh-herb infusion, and some states allow the first while banning the second. Confirm in writing before selling.
  • Oil is sold by volume. Net contents go in fluid ounces with the metric equivalent.
  • Olive oil grade is regulated. “Extra virgin” has a legal meaning and should not be used loosely.
  • If you infuse with chili, citrus peel or nuts, those are ingredients and go in the list. Nut-infused oil declares the tree nut.

Serving size

Olive and infused oils use a 15 g RACC, about one tablespoon. See the RACC lookup for how the FDA sets serving sizes.

Make your infused oil label

The builder below is loaded with the sample infused oil recipe. Swap in your own ingredients and amounts, pick your state, and export: the ingredient statement orders itself by weight, the Big-9 allergens are detected including the ones hiding in sub-ingredients, and your state's home-kitchen disclosure is added at the size it requires. Scaling into retail? The nutrition label maker computes the FDA panel from the same recipe for $9.

Edit this recipe below FDA Nutrition Facts panel ($9)

Make your infused oil label

Loaded with the sample recipe above. Change anything; the label on the right rebuilds as you type.

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.

Live preview

Free
Your Product Name
INGREDIENTS: List your ingredients to auto-order them by weight.
Made in a home kitchen.
Label made with Panelry · getpanelry.com/label

Add product name, business name, business address, at least one ingredient, your state, 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 “low sugar” 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.

Infused Oil labeling FAQ

Can I sell garlic-infused olive oil from my home kitchen?
Almost certainly not. Fresh garlic in oil is a recognised botulism hazard and is specifically excluded from the overwhelming majority of state cottage food laws. Producing it safely requires acidification under a scheduled process in a licensed facility.
How do I label infused oil?
By volume, in fluid ounces with the metric equivalent. List the oil first, then each botanical in weight order, and use the correct grade name for the oil. If any nut oil or nut botanical is present, declare the tree nut.

More product labeling guides

Verify before selling

Product rules vary by state (especially for infused oil) and change over time. Confirm with your state's program and official sources. Panelry is not affiliated with any government agency and does not provide legal advice. See our disclaimer.