Tennessee cottage food label requirements
Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act, T.C.A. 53-1-118, lets you sell homemade food made at your private residence without a state license or inspection, if the buyer gets four pieces of information, usually on the label.
Required statement (T.C.A. 53-1-118(b)(4)(D))
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
Type size: The law sets no type size.
Open the Tennessee preset in the tool
Last checked October 21, 2026. Sources · Example label · FAQ
What a Tennessee cottage food label must show
| Element | What to print | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Name, home address and phone | The producer’s name, home address and telephone number. | T.C.A. 53-1-118(b)(4)(A) |
| Common or usual name | For example "Peanut Butter Cookies". | 53-1-118(b)(4)(B) |
| Ingredients | In descending order of predominance. | 53-1-118(b)(4)(C) |
| Tennessee statement | The two sentences shown above, word for word. | 53-1-118(b)(4)(D) |
The law says homemade food items that meet its conditions are “exempt from all licensing, permitting, inspecting, packaging, and labeling laws of this state, except when the department of health is investigating a reported foodborne illness” (53-1-118(a)). That is why the list is short. We still recommend net weight and a "Contains" line; the tool adds them.
Keep your home address off the label?
No. Tennessee Code 53-1-118(b)(4)(A) requires the name, home address and telephone number of the producer, and Tennessee issues no permit or ID number that could be printed instead.
This is what the rule says, not legal advice. Check with your state agency before you print.
The Tennessee statement, word for word
The statute puts the statement in quotation marks:
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
Both sentences are required. "This product may contain allergens." is fixed text and does not name your allergens.
Type size and placement
Tennessee sets no type size for the statement or the other lines. Every line on our free label is at least 1/16 inch tall (see type size).
Selling online, at markets or through stores
- Packaged food: on a label affixed to the package (53-1-118(b)(5)(A)(i)).
- Bulk container: on a label on the container; unpackaged: on a placard at the point of sale.
- Online only: “On the webpage on which the homemade food item is offered for sale, if the homemade food item is offered only for sale on the internet” (53-1-118(b)(5)(A)(iv)).
- Phone or custom orders: you need not display the information, but you must tell the buyer the food is produced at a private residence exempt from state licensing and inspection and may contain allergens, and give the other details on request (53-1-118(b)(5)(B)).
- Foods that need refrigeration (TCS): allowed since July 1, 2025 with limits, and they must “Be sold either by: (i) The producer to the consumer, in person; or (ii) An agent of the producer, in person, such as a farm stand located on the property where the food was prepared.” (53-1-118(b)(3)(C), added by 2025 Pub. Ch. 431).
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture says it does not issue permits or licenses or inspect under this law (TDA: Tennessee Food Freedom Act).
Example Tennessee cottage food label
Sample Kitchen, a made-up home baker in Tennessee, selling a bag of peanut butter cookies. This is what the tool prints with the Tennessee preset:
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients: creamy peanut butter (roasted peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean), salt), sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), eggs, baking soda, salt.
Contains: Milk, Egg, Peanuts, Wheat, Soy.
8 cookies, Net Wt 8 oz (227 g)
Sample Kitchen, 123 Example St, Anytown, TN 00000
Phone: (555) 555-0100
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
- Name, home address and phone number are all printed, as 53-1-118(b)(4)(A) asks.
- Peanuts are a major allergen; the statement’s "may contain allergens" sentence does not replace the "Contains" line.
Open the Tennessee 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 Tennessee.
Easy mistakes to avoid
- Printing only the first sentence of the statement.
- Leaving off the phone number.
- Using a P.O. box: the law asks for the home address.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to sell homemade food in Tennessee?
Not for homemade food items that meet the conditions of T.C.A. 53-1-118. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture says it does not issue permits or licenses or conduct inspections for products made under this law.
What is the exact Tennessee label statement?
"This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens." (T.C.A. 53-1-118(b)(4)(D)).
Can I sell online in Tennessee?
Yes, for foods that don’t need time or temperature control. If the item is sold only online, the required information goes on the web page where it is offered; packaged items still need the label.
Sources
Last checked October 21, 2026. We read each of these official sources; quotes on this page are copied from them.
- Tennessee 2022 Public Chapter 862 (Tennessee Food Freedom Act, T.C.A. 53-1-118)
- Tennessee 2025 Public Chapter 431 (TCS foods; renumbers 53-1-118(b))
- Tennessee Department of Agriculture: Tennessee Food Freedom Act
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 · California · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Michigan · Ohio · Oregon · Texas · Virginia · Washington · All states and the label maker
Also useful: what goes on a food label (federal basics) and the ingredient label maker.