Texas cottage food label requirements
Senate Bill 541 rewrote Texas cottage food law on September 1, 2025. The required label disclosure changed, registered operators can print a DSHS number instead of a home address, and foods that need refrigeration (time and temperature control for safety, or TCS, foods) are now allowed with two extra label lines. This page walks through Texas Health and Safety Code 437.0193 line by line.
Required statement (Texas Health & Safety Code 437.0193(b)(2), as amended by SB 541)
THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.
Type size: No size set for the disclosure; the TCS safe-handling statement must be at least 12-point.
Open the Texas preset in the tool
Last checked October 19, 2026. Sources · Example label · FAQ
What a Texas cottage food label must show
| Element | What to print | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the cottage food operation | Your business name. | HSC 437.0193(b)(1) |
| Address, or DSHS ID number | Your address, or the unique identification number DSHS gives you when you register, printed instead. | 437.0193(b)(1) and (b-1) |
| Disclosure | The all-caps sentence quoted below. | 437.0193(b)(2) |
| Common or usual name | For example "Cream Cheese Kolaches". | DSHS cottage food page; 25 TAC 229.661(d)(1)(B) |
| Major food allergens | Any major food allergen the food is made with; DSHS gives eggs, tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk, wheat and sesame as examples. | DSHS cottage food page; 25 TAC 229.661(d)(1)(C) |
| Legible writing | Easy to read; handwritten is fine if legible. | DSHS page; 25 TAC 229.661(d)(2) |
| Date made (TCS foods) | The date the food was made, on the label. | 437.0193(e)(1) |
| Safe-handling statement (TCS foods) | The statement quoted below, at least 12-point, on the label or on the invoice or receipt. | 437.0193(e)(2) |
| Batch number | A unique number for each batch of pickled fruit or vegetables, fermented vegetables or plant-based acidified canned goods. | 25 TAC 229.661(f)(3)(A); DSHS page |
| Date made (sold by a cottage food vendor) | When a registered vendor resells your food, the label must show the date it was made. | 437.01965(c) |
Texas does not require a full ingredient list or a net weight on cottage foods; it requires the major allergens. Most sellers still print the full list because it is the simplest way to show allergens, and buyers expect it. Foods too large or bulky to package (a wedding cake, say) need the same information on an invoice or receipt instead (437.0193(c)).
Keep your home address off the label?
Yes, if you register with DSHS. Texas Health and Safety Code 437.0193(b-1) lets you leave your address off the label and print the unique identification number DSHS gives you when you register instead. The name of your operation stays on the label. For online sales, you may also leave the address out of the information posted before payment, but the address or DSHS number must be on the label (437.0194).
This is what the rule says, not legal advice. Check with your state agency before you print.
The Texas statement, word for word
SB 541 put the disclosure into the statute in capital letters. We checked the enrolled bill text; this is it, character for character:
THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.
Older wording you will still find: the DSHS rule for cottage foods, 25 TAC 229.661(d)(1)(D), was last amended in 2022 and still shows the pre-SB 541 sentence "This food is made in a home kitchen and is not inspected by the Texas Department of State Health Services or a local health department." The statute controls where the two conflict, and DSHS's own cottage food page uses the SB 541 wording. Labels printed before September 2025 with the old sentence should be replaced.
Safe-handling statement for TCS foods. If your food needs refrigeration (cheesecake, cream cheese kolaches, custard pies and so on), 437.0193(e)(2) requires this, word for word:
SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption.
The old rule had a shorter frozen-produce version ("…keep this food frozen until preparing for consumption"). SB 541 replaced it with the sentence above for all TCS foods. Selling TCS foods also requires DSHS registration (437.01953).
Type size and placement
The statute sets no type size for the disclosure. The safe-handling statement must be "in at least 12-point font", on the label or on an invoice or receipt given with the food (437.0193(e)(2)).
In our 4-inch PDF, printed at 100%, the safe-handling statement prints at about 12.5 points and the disclosure in bold at about 7 points. If you shrink the label, the safe-handling statement drops below 12 points first; printing it on the receipt instead is allowed.
Selling online, at markets or through stores
- Online sales: before you take payment, the labeling information has to be posted on your website. You may leave the address out of that online notice, but the address or DSHS number must be on the food label after payment (437.0194(b)-(c)). The operator, an employee or a household member must personally deliver the food.
- Cottage food vendors: a registered vendor can resell your non-TCS foods at farmers' markets, farm stands, food service establishments or retail stores. The vendor must post a sign with the same all-caps disclosure, and your label must show the date the food was made (437.01965). TCS foods cannot be sold to vendors (437.0194(a-1)).
- Samples may be given anywhere in Texas (437.01955).
Example Texas cottage food label
A fictional Austin kitchen selling a box of cream cheese kolaches, a TCS food that must be kept cold:
Cream Cheese Kolaches
Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), milk, cream cheese (pasteurized milk, cream, salt, carob bean gum), sugar, butter (cream, salt), eggs, yeast, salt.
Contains: Milk, Egg, Wheat.
6 kolaches, Net Wt 12 oz (340 g)
Bluebonnet Kitchen, 456 Oak St, Austin, TX 78701
Made on: 10/19/2026
THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.
SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption.
- Because it is a TCS food, the label shows the date made and the safe-handling statement in at least 12 points.
- Registered with DSHS? Type the DSHS number in the registration field and tick "print instead of my street address"; the address disappears from the label.
- The full ingredient list is optional in Texas, but it carries the allergens (milk, egg, wheat) that are required.
- The count plus net weight is optional; Texas does not require a net quantity for cottage foods.
Open the Texas 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. The refrigeration (TCS) box starts unticked in the tool: tick it only if your food must be kept cold. If you already have a recipe saved, it keeps your recipe and switches the state to Texas.
Easy mistakes to avoid
- Using the old "This food is made in a home kitchen…" sentence from 25 TAC 229.661 or from a pre-2025 template.
- Writing the disclosure in sentence case and changing words. Copy it exactly.
- Selling a refrigerated food without the date made or the 12-point safe-handling statement.
- Forgetting a batch number on pickles, sauerkraut or acidified canned goods.
- Leaving out sesame: DSHS lists it among the major food allergens.
Frequently asked questions
What is the new Texas cottage food label statement?
"THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION." It has been required by Health and Safety Code 437.0193(b)(2) since SB 541 took effect on September 1, 2025.
Can I put a registration number instead of my home address?
Yes. Under 437.0193(b-1), if you register with DSHS you may print the unique identification number DSHS provides instead of your address. DSHS shows the number in its online licensing system after registration.
Does a Texas cottage food label need an ingredient list?
Texas requires the major food allergens, not a full ingredient list or net weight. A full list is still the easiest way to declare allergens, and the tool builds it for you.
What does a TCS (refrigerated) cottage food label need?
The date the food was made on the label, and the safe-handling statement in at least 12-point font on the label or on the invoice or receipt (437.0193(e)). You must also register with DSHS (437.01953).
When do I need a batch number?
For each batch of pickled fruit or vegetables, fermented vegetable products, or plant-based acidified canned goods (25 TAC 229.661(f)(3); DSHS cottage food page).
Does my county or city need to approve my label?
No. Local governments, including local health departments, may not regulate cottage food production or require a cottage food permit (437.0192). DSHS keeps complaint records.
Sources
Last checked October 19, 2026. We read each of these official sources; quotes on this page are copied from them.
- SB 541 (89th Legislature), enrolled bill text, amending HSC 437.0193, 437.0194 and adding 437.01953-437.01965
- Texas Health & Safety Code chapter 437 (current text)
- Texas DSHS: Texas Cottage Food Production (Food Labeling, SB 541)
- DSHS: Cottage Food Registration Guide (2025, PDF)
- 25 TAC 229.661: Cottage Food Production Operations (last amended 2022; pre-SB 541 wording)
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.
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Also useful: what goes on a food label (federal basics) and the ingredient label maker.