Last verified 2026-09-15. Regulator: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services. This page is not legal advice.
What must a cottage food label show in Pennsylvania?
A Pennsylvania cottage food label must show these 7 items:
- The name of the product
- The name and address of the manufacturer
- The ingredients listed in decreasing order by weight
- An allergen declaration if needed
- The net weight or unit count
- Bakery items sold direct to the consumer by the baker need no label, but ingredient information must be available on request
- Any claim such as gluten free, sugar free, or dairy free must be substantiated and may trigger a nutrition facts panel
What disclaimer must a Pennsylvania cottage food label have?
Pennsylvania does not set exact disclaimer wording in the sources we have. Check the sources below.
Does Pennsylvania require a Nutrition Facts panel on cottage food?
Only in some cases. Pennsylvania requires a Nutrition Facts panel when the label makes a nutrient or health claim, such as "low sugar" or "high protein". If you want to add one, the Nutrition Label Maker prints it in the FDA layout for free.
What foods can you sell under the Pennsylvania cottage food law?
Non-hazardous foods that do not need refrigeration of the finished product, such as cakes, breads, cookies, rolls, muffins, brownies, fruit pies, pastries, jams and jellies at 65 percent Brix or more, and similar items. Potentially hazardous foods such as cheesecakes, pumpkin pies, cream, custard, and meringue desserts, or any item with pH above 4.6 and enough moisture to support pathogens, are not allowed. Acidified foods and juice need laboratory testing.
Where can you sell cottage food in Pennsylvania?
Direct from the production site, including internet sales. Sales at an event or farmers market may also need a Retail Food Facility License. Sales to retail stores are allowed for registered establishments. Sales across state lines may also need FDA registration.
Do you need a permit to sell cottage food in Pennsylvania?
Register with the PDA Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services as a Limited Food Establishment. Submit the application packet at least 60 days before operating, pass an on-site inspection, then pay the $35 registration fee. Registration renews yearly. Honey processors who produce and process on the same farm are exempt from the fee.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Pennsylvania?
None. Neither the PDA page nor the application packet sets a sales limit.
What else should you know about the Pennsylvania rules?
Pennsylvania does not use the term “cottage food”. It registers home food processors as limited food establishments under the Food Safety Act. 7 Pa. Code section 46.212 lets a retail food facility sell food made in a private home only if that home is registered with the Department as a food establishment. The same section lets nonprofit groups sell non-potentially-hazardous home-made food without registration, with a written notice that the food came from a private home that is not licensed or inspected. Pennsylvania has no fixed disclaimer statement for registered limited food establishments. Not confirmed.
How accurate is this page?
The label items, the allowed and barred foods, the sales channels, the $35 fee, the 60-day plan review, the inspection step, and the yearly renewal were read from the PDA Limited Food Establishment page and its application packet (revised 2/2015) on 2026-09-15. 7 Pa. Code section 46.212 was read the same day. The Food Safety Act text on the Legislature’s site is a JavaScript shell and was not read. The packet date is 2015, so check the PDA page for a newer fee or rule.