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Iowa Cottage Food Law Label Requirements

Iowa cottage food law label requirements fit on a small sticker: who made the food and how to reach them, the common name of the food, the ingredients from most to least, any major allergens, and one sentence the law spells out word for word. No license, permit or inspection. You sell straight to the customer, in person or online.

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

What every Iowa cottage food label must show

Iowa Code section 137F.20 lists five things. Put every one of them on each package.

Example Iowa cottage food label for cinnamon bread with the maker's name and email, an ingredient list, a Contains line for wheat, milk and egg, and the residential property statement
  1. 1
    Your name and one way to reach youIowa Code 137F.20(2)(a)
    The name of the person who made the food, plus an address, a phone number or an email address. You pick which one.
  2. 2
    The common name of the foodIowa Code 137F.20(2)(b)
    What a shopper would call it: "Cinnamon swirl bread", "Dill pickles", "Peanut brittle".
  3. 3
    Ingredients, largest firstIowa Code 137F.20(2)(c)
    Every ingredient in descending order of predominance, so the one you used the most goes first. Iowa asks for the full list, not only allergens.
  4. 4
    The residential property statementIowa Code 137F.20(2)(d)
    Word for word: This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.
  5. 5
    An allergen statementIowa Code 137F.20(2)(d)
    If the food contains a major food allergen, add a separate statement naming each one by its common name, like milk, egg, wheat, peanuts or sesame.
  6. Home-canned pickles, vegetables and fruit need a dateExtra ruleThey only qualify with a pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or less, measured on every batch with a meter. Each jar also needs the date you processed and canned it, and you keep records to show DIAL on request.
Iowa at a glance

Sales limits, licenses and where you can sell

Sales limitNo capThe cottage food section sets no dollar limit. The cap only shows up on the licensed home route (under $50,000 a year).
License or permitNoneCottage food is exempt from state licensing, permits, inspection and packaging rules when you sell straight to the consumer.
Where you can sellDirect onlyIn person, by phone or online. Deliver it yourself, by mail or through an agent such as an employee. Not through stores or restaurants.
Nutrition FactsNot requiredIowa cottage food law doesn't ask for a Nutrition Facts panel. The statute also says the exemption is not the same as meeting federal law.
Want to sell through shops or cafes?Licensed routeThen you need a home food processing establishment license from DIAL: $50 a year, for businesses under $50,000 in yearly sales. That label is different: business name, food name, ingredients, net quantity, an expiration date for refrigerated foods, allergens, and "This product was produced at a home food processing establishment."Iowa Code 137D.2
Selling honey from home?Special ruleA home where honey is stored, packed, labeled or shipped is not a food establishment or food processing plant under Iowa law, so it needs no food license. DIAL also lets honey be sold at farmers markets without a market license.Iowa Code 137F.1(9)(m), (10)(b)Custom Honey Label →
Selling across state lines?Iowa's exemption covers state law only. The statute says it does not mean you meet federal law, and across state lines federal rules apply: net quantity, a full ingredient list and usually a Nutrition Facts label.Nutrition Facts Label Requirements →
Sources

Where this comes from

Questions

Iowa label questions

No. Cottage food is exempt from state licensing, permits and inspection, as long as the food doesn't need to be kept hot or cold for safety, you sell it straight to the consumer, and the label has everything section 137F.20 asks for. Iowa Cottage Food Law →

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