This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify labeling requirements with FDACS and ensure your labels comply with current regulations before selling your products.
Create compliant, professional labels for your cottage food products
Product labels serve multiple important purposes:
Required by Florida cottage food law to inform consumers and meet regulations
Alert customers to allergens and provide important product information
Professional labels build trust and make your products stand out
Tell your story and connect with customers through your packaging
Every cottage food product label in Florida MUST include these six elements:
Use the common or usual name of the food. Be clear and descriptive.
✅ Good Examples:
❌ Avoid:
List ALL ingredients in descending order by weight (heaviest first). Include sub-ingredients for compound items.
Example for Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, butter (cream, salt), semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract (vanilla bean extractives, water, alcohol), baking soda, salt.
Clearly identify if your product contains any of the major food allergens:
Major Allergens (FDA):
How to Display:
CONTAINS: Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy
or include in bold within ingredient list
State the net weight or count. Include both metric and imperial for products over 1 lb.
Examples:
Include your business name (or your name) and the complete street address where the product was made.
Format:
Made by: Sweet Sarah's Bakery
123 Main Street
Orlando, FL 32801
Privacy Note: This is your home address for cottage food operations. Some makers use a PO Box for contact but must list the production address on the label.
This is MANDATORY. Florida law requires this exact statement on every cottage food product:
"Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations."
⚠️ Important: This statement must appear word-for-word. Do not modify or paraphrase it.
Here's an example of how to organize all required information on a label:
Homemade with Love
Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.
INGREDIENTS:
Wheat flour, sugar, butter, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin), eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt.
CONTAINS: Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy
Net Wt: 10 oz (283g) - Approx. 12 cookies
Made by: Sweet Sarah's Bakery
123 Main Street, Orlando, FL 32801
@sweetsarahsbakery
Create compliant cottage food labels with our free tool. Just enter your product info and download a ready-to-print PDF.
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❌ Missing the cottage food statement
This is the #1 violation. Always include the required statement word-for-word.
❌ Incomplete ingredient lists
List ALL ingredients, including sub-ingredients. Don't forget salt, baking soda, etc.
❌ Missing allergen warnings
Clearly identify all major allergens. This is critical for consumer safety.
❌ Text too small to read
Required information must be legible. Use at least 10pt font.
❌ Making health claims
Avoid claims like "healthy," "lowers cholesterol," etc. without FDA approval.
Ready to create your labels and start selling?