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Delaware Cottage Food Label Requirements

Delaware cottage food label requirements come from the Division of Public Health: your business name, the product name, your town plus "Delaware", a phone number or email, the net weight or count, the production date or a lot number, the ingredients, the source of every major allergen, and one required statement. Everything is printed in at least 10-point type. Farmers who cook under the Department of Agriculture use a shorter statement of their own.

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Delaware cottage food label requirements: map of the United States with Delaware highlighted
Cottage food label

Required on every Delaware cottage food label

Section 8.2 of the Delaware Cottage Food Regulations. Your products must meet it before the first sale, and you send example labels with your application.

Example Delaware cottage food label for peach jam with business name, Lewes, Delaware, email, net weight, lot number, ingredients and the inspection statement
  1. 1
    Business name and product name16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.1
    The name of your cottage food establishment and what the food is, like "Sussex Kitchen, Peach Jam".
  2. 2
    Town, Delaware, and a way to reach you16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.1
    Your town or city followed by "Delaware", like "Lewes, Delaware", plus a phone number or email. No street address required.
  3. 3
    Net weight or unit count16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.1
    How much is in the package, like "Net Wt 10 oz" or "6 cookies".
  4. 4
    Production date or lot number16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.1, 8.5
    Either one works. A lot number also ties each package to the batch records you keep for three years.
  5. 5
    Ingredients by weight16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.2
    All ingredients in decreasing order by weight. If the label is too small, the list must be available when a customer asks.
  6. 6
    The source of each major allergen16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.3
    Name it for milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans and sesame, unless the ingredient name already says it, like "whole wheat flour".
  7. 7
    The inspection statement16 DE Admin. Code 4458A-8.2.4
    Word for word: This food is made in a Cottage Food Establishment and is NOT subject to routine Government Food Safety Inspections
  8. Everything in 10-point typePrint ruleThe whole label, not just the statement, must be at least 10-point type in a color that contrasts clearly with the background. Light gray on kraft paper is a risk.
Delaware at a glance

Registration, sales rules and training

Registration$30 a yearWith the Division of Public Health. Each registration runs April 1 to March 31 and is renewed every year.4458A-3.1
Sales capNone setThe Division of Public Health rules name no dollar limit. The on-farm program of the Department of Agriculture caps sales at $50,000.
Where you sellFace to faceDirectly to consumers in Delaware, at farmers markets, craft fairs, charity events and other approved venues. No online sales, no wholesale.4458A-3.1.3
TrainingFood safety testAt least one person on site has passed a test from a program the Office of Food Protection approves.4458A-5.0
Cooking on your farm instead?Other programFarm owners can get an On-Farm Home Processing permit from the Department of Agriculture ($25 a year). That label lists the product name, your name and address, ingredients by weight, net weight or count, the date processed and "This product is home-produced and processed" in 10-point type.
Bake sales are exemptProducts offered at bake sales, or at private events as the Delaware Food Code describes them, fall outside the cottage food rules. Everything you sell to the public needs the full label.
Make the ingredient line in minutesEnter your recipe in our tool, confirm each USDA match, and copy an ingredient list sorted by weight with a Contains line for the major allergens.Cottage Food Label Maker →
Selling beyond cottage food?Wholesale, stores or online sales need a licensed food business, and then the federal label applies: net quantity in two units and usually a Nutrition Facts panel.FDA Food Labeling Requirements →
Sources

Where this comes from

Questions

Delaware label questions

Copy it exactly as the regulation prints it. Only "NOT" is in capitals: This food is made in a Cottage Food Establishment and is NOT subject to routine Government Food Safety Inspections.

Related pages

LAWDelaware Cottage Food LawCOTTAGE FOODCottage Food Label RequirementsTEMPLATECottage Food Label TemplateGUIDEAllergen Labeling Requirements (FALCPA)PRODUCTHomemade Jam LabelQUIZDo I Need a Nutrition Label?LABEL MAKERNutrition Label Maker

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