Ohio cottage food label requirements
Ohio keeps cottage food labeling short. Ohio Revised Code 3715.023 lists five things every label needs, and Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-02 adds the federal food labeling rules in 21 CFR Part 101. There is no cottage food license or registration in Ohio, but the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) can sample cottage foods to check whether they are misbranded or adulterated, so a correct label is what keeps you in the clear.
Required statement (Ohio Revised Code 3715.023(A)(5))
This product is home produced.
Type size: Ten-point type.
Open the Ohio preset in the tool
Last checked October 19, 2026. Sources · Example label · FAQ
What a Ohio cottage food label must show
| Element | What to print | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Name and address of the business | Your business name and address. | ORC 3715.023(A)(1) |
| Name of the food product | For example "Buckeye Candies". | ORC 3715.023(A)(2) |
| Ingredients | In descending order of predominance by weight. | ORC 3715.023(A)(3) |
| Net quantity | The statute says "net weight and volume"; ODA explains it as the net weight in both U.S. customary and metric units, for example "Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)". | ORC 3715.023(A)(4); ODA cottage food page |
| Home produced statement | The sentence quoted below, in ten-point type. | ORC 3715.023(A)(5) |
| Major food allergens | Named in the ingredient list or in a "Contains" line right after it, including the specific tree nut, fish or shellfish. ODA lists all nine major allergens, sesame included. | OAC 901:3-20-02(A) (21 CFR Part 101); ODA cottage food fact sheet |
| Nutrition Facts | Only if you make nutrient content claims (such as "low fat") or health claims, according to ODA. | ODA cottage food page |
ODA groups these the way federal rules do: a statement of identity (the name), the net quantity of contents, the ingredient list, a statement of responsibility (name and address) and the cottage food declaration. Because OAC 901:3-20-02 points to 21 CFR Part 101, the federal formatting rules for those parts apply too, such as listing sub-ingredients of store-bought items like chocolate chips or peanut butter.
Keep your home address off the label?
No. Ohio Revised Code 3715.023(A)(1) requires the name and address of the business. Ohio has no cottage food registration, so there is no number to print instead.
This is what the rule says, not legal advice. Check with your state agency before you print.
The Ohio statement, word for word
Ohio's statute puts the sentence in quotation marks:
This product is home produced.
ODA's cottage food page and fact sheet write it with capital letters ("This Product is Home Produced."). The words are the same; we use the statute's sentence case. According to ODA, the statement means the food was produced in a private home that is not subject to inspection by a food regulatory authority.
The statement is short, so it is easy to tuck into a corner. Keep it readable and separate from decorative text. The law sets a type size for it (below) but nothing about placement, so the back or side of the package is acceptable as long as it is on the label of each unit you sell.
Type size and placement
ORC 3715.023(A)(5) requires the statement "in ten-point type". Ohio sets no size for the other lines; the federal rules referenced by OAC 901:3-20-02 do set some minimums (for example for the net quantity), which depend on the size of your package's front panel.
Our free 4-inch PDF prints the Ohio statement at about 10.6 points when printed at 100% ("Actual size"). Printing at "Fit to page" on a smaller label can push it below 10 points.
Selling online, at markets or through stores
The label is what makes Ohio cottage foods sellable beyond your own front door. ORC 3715.023(B) says food products labeled under this section are acceptable for licensed retail food establishments and food service operations to sell or use. In practice ODA lists these places: directly from the home, grocery stores, registered farm markets, farmers markets, restaurants, and certain festivals organized by a political subdivision that last up to seven days. ODA also says cottage food products may only be sold in Ohio.
We found no separate Ohio wording for online listings in the statute or rule; what the law regulates is the label on each unit of food sold.
This page covers cottage food production operations. ODA has separate requirements for licensed home bakeries, which are not covered here.
Example Ohio cottage food label
A fictional Columbus candy maker selling a box of twelve buckeyes (candy is on Ohio's list of approved cottage foods in OAC 901:3-20-04):
Buckeye Candies
Ingredients: creamy peanut butter (roasted peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean), salt), powdered sugar (sugar, cornstarch), semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), butter (cream, salt), vanilla extract (vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol).
Contains: Milk, Peanuts, Soy.
12 pieces, Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)
Scioto Sweets, 88 Maple Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
This product is home produced.
- Store-bought peanut butter and chocolate chips are listed with their own ingredients in parentheses. That is where the Soy and Milk in the "Contains" line come from.
- The net quantity shows ounces and grams, as ODA asks.
- The count ("12 pieces") is optional extra information next to the weight.
- The statement goes last here, in bold, at 10.6 points in the PDF.
Open the Ohio 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 Ohio.
Easy mistakes to avoid
- Showing only ounces, without the metric amount.
- Listing "chocolate chips" or "peanut butter" without their sub-ingredients, which hides milk and soy.
- Printing "Home produced" or "Homemade" instead of the full sentence.
- Putting the statement in small print under 10 points.
- Adding a claim such as "low sugar" without a Nutrition Facts panel.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to sell cottage food in Ohio?
No. ODA says a cottage food production operation is exempt from ODA inspection and licensing, but its products are subject to ODA food sampling to check for misbranding or adulteration. Licensed home bakeries are a separate category.
What is the exact Ohio cottage food statement?
"This product is home produced." in ten-point type, from Ohio Revised Code 3715.023(A)(5). ODA capitalizes it as "This Product is Home Produced."; the words are the same.
Does an Ohio cottage food label need grams?
Yes, according to ODA: the net quantity should be stated in both U.S. customary units (ounces) and metric units (grams). The tool prints both, for example "Net Wt 9 oz (255 g)".
Can I sell Ohio cottage foods to a grocery store or restaurant?
Yes, if they are labeled as ORC 3715.023 requires. Section 3715.023(B) says such products are acceptable for licensed retail food establishments and food service operations.
Do Ohio cottage foods need a Nutrition Facts panel?
ODA says a Nutrition Facts panel is required if you make nutrient content claims (such as "low fat" or "salt free") or health claims. Otherwise most small cottage producers do not add one.
Do I need to list allergens if Ohio's statute does not mention them?
Yes. OAC 901:3-20-02 requires the federal labeling rules in 21 CFR Part 101 in addition to the statute, and ODA's fact sheet spells out the nine major food allergens and the "Contains" format.
Sources
Last checked October 19, 2026. We read each of these official sources; quotes on this page are copied from them.
- Ohio Revised Code 3715.023: Labels for cottage food production operation
- Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-02: Labeling
- Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-04: Cottage food products allowed
- Ohio Department of Agriculture: Cottage Foods (archived copy of ODA’s page, February 2, 2026; the live page no longer loads)
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
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Also useful: what goes on a food label (federal basics) and the ingredient label maker.