As a cottage food producer, you must follow the Cottage Foods Exemption law labeling requirements. There are six things you must include on your food labels:
- Your full name as the individual cottage food producer or the cottage food business name you submitted on your registration form.
- Your cottage food registration number or the address you submitted on the registration form.
- The date the cottage food was made.
- List of ingredients.
- Any major food allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame).
- Note: home-processed pet treats do not require allergen information.
- Advisory statement: “These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.”
By communicating this information to your customers, they can make informed decisions when purchasing your cottage food products.
Best practices
While the Cottage Foods Exemption law does not require the use of a specific labeling format or design, there are best practices you can use to keep your customers safe.
- Make sure it is legible. Use a simple font large enough to be easily read. Sans-serif font styles with a size no smaller than 10 points are common.
- It must be in English, or include an English translation if the label is written in another language.
- It must be available to the customer in print if not attached to the packaged food (such as baked goods packaged at the time of sale). This can be in the form of a card or paper given to the customer at the point of sale, or posted on a sign at your display as long as the customer is made aware of the information.
QR codes
Scanning a QR (quick response) code might be convenient for some customers, but not all customers will have a smartphone capable of scanning the code or know how to use the technology.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture states: “QR codes cannot take the place of the required label information. A QR code can only be added in addition to the required information.”
You can use a QR code as an added way to communicate the labeling requirements and other information (your business story, website, or other optional information) to your customers. But, if you use a QR code, you must also have all of the required labeling information in a printed format that is visible and available to your customers at the time of sale. All customers need access to this information.
Have a question you want answered?
Email your questions to the food safety team at exfdsafe@umn.edu. It may be featured in this newsletter to benefit all Minnesota cottage food producers.