Free tool · Cottage food label rules

North Carolina cottage food label rules

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

Another state Mostly confirmed. Check the open points below

Your label must include

Product name
Manufacturer’s name and address
Net weight (oz/lb with gram equivalent)
Ingredients in descending order by weight
Allergens (in ingredients or a ‘Contains’ statement right after)

Required statement

No exact statement is set by law here.

No home-kitchen disclaimer is required. Labels are needed for packaged, self-serve, shipped and retail/restaurant sales. A product made on demand and handed directly to the consumer (including at a farmers market) may skip the label if ingredient info is available on request.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

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

Net wt. 4 oz (113 g) · 2 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.

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 North Carolina

Permit: Application plus a mandatory on-site home kitchen inspection before selling. No permit is issued; you get a Notice of Inspection. No application or inspection fee (product testing may cost extra).
Training: none for baked goods (an Acidified Foods course is required only for acidified products)
Sales cap: none
Where you can sell: From home, farmers markets, special events, direct delivery to consumers, and sales to local retail stores and restaurants.
Online & shipping: Online orders and in-state mail or shipping are allowed (labels required when shipped). Interstate sales are not allowed.
Law: No cottage food statute. Home Processor program under the NC Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (G.S. 106-120 et seq.) and 21 CFR 117

What we could not confirm (3)

No-fee status and interstate-sales ban come from forrager; NCDA pages did not state either explicitly
Exact statutory citation for the program
NCDA review timing (stated as 8 to 12 weeks)

Check with: NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Food & Drug Protection Division, Food Program

Last change to the law:

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

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

BakersKeep builds your North Carolina 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.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Food & Drug Protection Division, Food Program before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

North Carolina cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

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

Other states