California cottage food label requirements

California's labeling checklist for cottage food operations (CFOs) comes from the California Department of Public Health document "Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products" (revised January 2025). It covers registered (Class A) and permitted (Class B) operations alike, since item 4 asks for "the registration or permit number", and it is specific about the front of the package: the home kitchen statement must be there, in 12-point type.

Required statement (CDPH, Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products (Rev. 1/2025), item 3)

Made in a Home Kitchen

Type size: 12-point type on the principal display panel.

Open the California preset in the tool

Last checked October 19, 2026. Sources · Example label · FAQ

What a California cottage food label must show

Element	What to print	Rule
Common or descriptive name	On the principal display panel (the front).	CDPH item 1
Name, city and ZIP of the CFO	Plus the street address if you are not listed in a current telephone directory. A phone number or email is optional.	CDPH item 2
Home kitchen statement	"Made in a Home Kitchen" (or "Repackaged in a Home Kitchen"), 12-point, on the principal display panel.	CDPH item 3
Registration or permit number + county	Your CFO registration or permit number and the name of the county whose enforcement agency issued it.	CDPH item 4
Ingredients	In descending order of predominance by weight, if the product has two or more ingredients.	CDPH item 5
Net quantity	Count, weight or volume, in both English (pound) units and metric (grams).	CDPH item 6
Allergens	Declared in plain language in a "Contains" statement or within the ingredient list.	CDPH item 7
Nutrition Facts	Generally not required, unless the label makes a nutrient content claim or a health claim.	CDPH items 8-10
Legible, in English	Accurate translations into other languages are optional.	CDPH item 11

CDPH adds that label materials touching the food must be food-grade (item 12). If a retail food facility serves your product unpackaged, or uses it as an ingredient, it must tell its customers that the food was made in a CFO home kitchen (item 13).

CDPH's allergen example lists eight allergens. Federal law added sesame as the ninth major food allergen on January 1, 2023, so declare it too.

Keep your home address off the label?

Partly. California asks for the name, city and ZIP code of your cottage food operation. The street address is only required if your operation is not listed in a current telephone directory (CDPH Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Products, item 2). There is no number you can print in place of the city and ZIP, and your registration or permit number and county are required either way (item 4).

This is what the rule says, not legal advice. Check with your state agency before you print.

The California statement, word for word

The required words are short:

Made in a Home Kitchen

If you only repackage ready-to-eat food that you bought rather than make it, CDPH's wording is "Repackaged in a Home Kitchen", and the label must also describe the purchased products. Our tool prints "Made in a Home Kitchen"; for a repackaged product, use the "No state statement" option and add the repackaged wording yourself.

CDPH's sample label puts the statement first, with the permit number and county right under it, then the product name. Our tool follows the same order.

Type size and placement

"Made in a Home Kitchen" must be in 12-point type on the principal display panel (CDPH item 3). CDPH also says computer-generated labels may put all required information on the principal display panel if it can be read by the average consumer.

Our 4-inch PDF prints the statement in bold at about 12.5 points when printed at 100% ("Actual size"). Scaling the label below about 96% takes it under 12 points.

Selling online, at markets or through stores

The CDPH labeling document only adds one sales-related rule: when a retail food facility serves your food without its package, or uses it as an ingredient in a restaurant, bakery or deli, the customer must be told it was processed in a CFO home kitchen. Everything else on this page applies to the packaged product itself, whether you sell it at a market, from home or for delivery.

Pending change to the food list, not to labels. CDPH posted a Notice to Amend the Approved Cottage Food List (listed as October 2026). It proposes adding chocolate and nut spread to category (8), Nuts, Nut Mixes, and Nut Butters. Comments closed October 1, 2026, and CDPH says the new list will be posted on or about November 16, 2026. The notice does not change any labeling requirement on this page.

Example California cottage food label

A fictional Sacramento baker selling six snickerdoodles in a bag:

Made in a Home Kitchen

Permit #: 12345 Issued in county: Sacramento

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, butter (cream, salt), eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Wheat.

6 cookies, Net Wt 4 oz (113 g)

Maple Lane Bakes, Sacramento, CA 95814

Fictional business. Rendered from the same code as the tool's preview and PDF, with the net weight sized for a package front of 5 to 25 sq in (in the tool you choose your own).

The statement and permit line come first, as in CDPH's sample label.
Only city and ZIP are shown, which CDPH allows if the business is in a current telephone directory. Otherwise add the street address.
The net quantity shows the count plus ounces and grams; CDPH asks for English and metric units.
Butter and eggs bring Milk and Egg into the "Contains" line.

Open the California preset in the tool

On your first visit the tool loads this example, with its made-up details marked as examples and a Start blank button. If you already have a recipe saved, it keeps your recipe and switches the state to California.

Easy mistakes to avoid

Putting "Made in a Home Kitchen" on the back or in small print.
Leaving out the issuing county after the permit number.
Net weight in ounces only, without grams.
Allergen lists that stop at eight and miss sesame.
Adding claims like "low sugar" without a Nutrition Facts panel.

Frequently asked questions

Do Class A and Class B cottage food labels differ?

Not in CDPH's labeling checklist. Both show the registration (Class A) or permit (Class B) number and the county that issued it, plus "Made in a Home Kitchen" in 12-point type on the front.

Can I leave my street address off?

CDPH asks for the name, city and ZIP code, and adds the street address only if the CFO is not listed in a current telephone directory.

Is a phone number required?

No. CDPH says a contact phone number or email address is optional but can help customers reach you.

Do I need both ounces and grams?

Yes. CDPH item 6 asks for the net quantity in both English (pound) units and metric units (grams). The tool prints both.

Does a California cottage food need Nutrition Facts?

Generally not, unless the label makes a nutrient content claim (such as "low", "free", "reduced", "good source") or a health claim (CDPH items 8-10).

Sources

Last checked October 19, 2026. We read each of these official sources; quotes on this page are copied from them.

This page explains the rules in plain English. It is not legal advice. Rules change, and your county or market may ask for more, so check with the agency above before printing a large run.

How we check these rules, and what changed: How we verify · change log · report an error.

Other states

Arizona · Florida · Georgia · Michigan · Ohio · Oregon · Texas · All states and the label maker

Also useful: what goes on a food label (federal basics) and the ingredient label maker.