Free tool
Cottage food label generator
Replace the example details, select your state, then print or copy the label text.
List largest to smallest by weight. Check packaged ingredients for sub-ingredients (for example, the ingredients in chocolate chips). See 21 CFR 101.4. This tool does not sort or check your list.
Select allergens yourself; nothing is detected automatically. Check FDA allergen guidance and your state rules. For tree nuts, fish and shellfish, name the kind, such as almonds or cod.
Check your state's guidance for address, date and permit fields before using this label.
Label preview
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made by Vibe Bakery · 12 Example St, Columbus, OH 43215
Ingredients: wheat flour, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt
Contains: Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Soy
Net quantity: 12 oz (340 g)
Select your state above to insert its required cottage food disclaimer.
Starting template — not legal advice. Verify the wording against your state’s current cottage food rules before you print and sell. This tool does not check or guarantee your label.
A simple cottage food label template
A cottage food label tells buyers what the product is, who made it, what is in it and how much they are getting, plus any statement your state requires. Your state decides the exact fields and wording.
Edit the sample in the generator above, choose your state, then select Print label or Copy label text to paste the words into your own sticker layout. Neither one adds our name to your label.
Find your state's label rules in the state-by-state reference, and its registration steps in the license and registration section. Some states let you show a state ID or registration number instead of your home address.
| Field | Sample label |
|---|---|
| Product | Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies |
| Made by | Vibe Bakery |
| Address | 12 Example St, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Ingredients | wheat flour, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt |
| Contains | Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Soy |
| Net quantity | 12 oz (340 g) |
| State statement | Added when you choose your state |
| Date or permit | Add them if your state asks for them |
Ingredients and allergens
List ingredients from heaviest to lightest by weight, as 21 CFR 101.4 describes. When an ingredient is made of other ingredients, like the chocolate chips in the sample, put its own ingredients in parentheses. Copy them from the package instead of guessing.
- Start from your recipe's weights, then sort the list.
- Copy each packaged ingredient's list from its label.
- Tick the allergens yourself. The generator does not read your ingredient list.
The FDA's allergen guidance names nine major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Show them in the ingredient list or in a "Contains" line right after it. That is why the sample says "Contains: Soy": the soy is in the chocolate chips. For tree nuts, fish and shellfish, federal law (21 U.S.C. 343(w)) asks for the kind, such as almonds or cod.
Printable cottage food label example
Here is the sample label printed with Ohio selected. The generator added Ohio's required statement, "This product is home produced." Ohio Revised Code 3715.023 says it must be in ten-point type, and lists the other details an Ohio label needs.
Before you print
- Replace every sample detail with your own.
- Choose your state. If the generator asks you to paste a statement, copy it from your state's rules. A blank box does not mean your state has none.
- Check the fields, wording and type size against your state's rules.
- Print a test copy, or paste the text into your label layout and check the type size there.
Print gives you one label per page. Copied text keeps the words, not the layout.
Keep the template close to the order
Use the same product names and quantities on the label and on your bakery order form, and add label and packaging costs to the pricing baked goods calculator.
- Match each label to the product and flavor you are packing.
- Recheck the ingredients when you change a recipe or a brand.
- Keep batch dates with your order records.
Frequently asked
Common questions.
Does this generator check my label against the law?
No. It adds the statement our state data records for your state and lays out the details you enter. Check everything else against your state's current rules in the state reference.
What goes on a cottage food label?
Usually the product name, your name and address (or a state ID where allowed), the ingredients by weight, allergens, the net quantity and your state's required statement. Check whether your state also wants a production date or a permit number. Each state's rules are linked from the state reference.
Is this a printable cottage food label template?
Yes. Edit the sample, then use Print label for a single label, or Copy label text to paste the words into your own sticker layout. Neither adds our name.
Can I use one label template for every state?
You can reuse the layout. The statement changes by state, and so can the address, date and permit rules, so check the label again for each state you sell in.
Should my order form collect label details?
Yes. Collect the product, flavor, quantity and allergy notes so each package matches its order. Your recipe and ingredient packages still decide the ingredient list.
