Free tool · Cottage food label rules

Hawaii cottage food label rules

What has to be on the label when you sell homemade baked goods in Hawaii, and the limits that matter at a market. Checked September 2026.

Another state Mostly confirmed. Check the open points below

Your label must include

Common name of the food (or a descriptive identity)
Ingredients in descending order by weight (if 2 or more ingredients)
Major food allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame)
Name and contact information of the producer
Required statement

Required statement

“Made in a home kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health”

No font size specified in the rule. A handwashing sink must be available during prep.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, toffee bits (sugar, butter, almonds, soy lecithin), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt.

Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts (almond), soy.

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, HI 00000

Made in a home kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health

Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Key limits in Hawaii

Permit: none — homemade food operations are exempt from the food establishment permit; no fee
Training: Required: food safety certification from DOH or a DOH-approved program (ANSI-accredited courses accepted), per HAR 11-50-20(c)
Sales cap: none
Where you can sell: Farmers markets, craft fairs, fundraisers and other for-profit or non-profit events, direct to consumers; since the 8/24/2025 rule amendment, also third-party and wholesale sales to permitted food establishments, which must tell customers the item is homemade.
Online & shipping: Online sales allowed per DOH guidance; delivery and shipping (in-state or out-of-state) are not addressed in the sources found.
Law: Homemade food products exemption, Haw. Admin. Rules ch. 11-50 (§ 11-50-3, labeling § 11-50-35(c)); amended eff. 8/24/2025 under Act 195 (SLH 2024)

What we could not confirm (4)

Whether mailing or shipping (in-state or interstate) is allowed; not addressed in DOH materials
Whether the 2025 amendment changed the label wording; the DOH 1/29/2026 sheet still uses the same statement, so probably not
The Cornell copy of HAR 11-50-3 is the pre-2025 version (‘directly to the consumer’ only); the 2025 amended rule text itself was not read
Whether the statement must end with a period (the rule quotes it without one)

Check with: Hawaii State Department of Health, Food Safety Branch

Last change to the law: HAR 11-50 amendments effective 8/24/2025 (implementing Act 195, SLH 2024): added pickled/fermented/acidified products and allowed third-party/wholesale sales

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

BakersKeep builds your Hawaii label from each recipe: ingredients in order, allergens and the required statement. Change a recipe and every label updates. It also prices your cookies, takes pre-orders and writes the week’s posts.

Join the founders list See how it works

This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with Hawaii State Department of Health, Food Safety Branch before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Hawaii cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

Other states