Missouri cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

Missouri asks for no license, fee or sales cap for a cottage food production operation baking at home, allows an online sale only when the buyer is also in Missouri, and leaves the exact wording of the required not-inspected label statement to department rule.

The cap that once stood at $50,000 a year was removed in 2022 when online sales were first allowed.

Registering

The rule is administered by Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services; the guide reads Mo. Rev. Stat. § 196.298 (enacted 2014 S.B. 525, amended 2022 H.B. 1697, effective 2022-08-28).

Missouri asks for nothing: a cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment and answers to no health or food code beyond this one statute. The Department of Health and Senior Services writes the labeling rules but names no registration fee.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

You sell directly to consumers, from your home or online, but an internet sale only counts if your buyer is also inside Missouri. The statute never says how the food has to reach the buyer beyond that, and it rules out resale outright, so nothing moves through a store or another business.

What goes on the label

The statute requires your name and address and a statement that the food was never inspected, and leaves the exact wording to the department. The department's own guidance describes that statement the same way, in prose, rather than printing a fixed sentence to copy; it also spells out four more label elements the bare statute does not itemize: the food's common name, its ingredients by weight, its net weight, and any allergens.

The statute requires 'a statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department' and directs the department to write labeling rules. The department's own guidance (Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance, August 2023) describes the same requirement in prose, 'a statement that the product is prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to inspection by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services,' with no quotation marks around it as a sentence to copy verbatim. Neither the statute nor the guidance prints a fixed sentence

• The full name and address of the cottage food production operation
• The common name of the food
• The name of all ingredients, in descending order by weight
• The net weight of the food
• A list of any allergens in the food
• A statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department

What you can bake and sell

Baked goods such as cookies, cakes, breads, danish, donuts, pastries and pies qualify, along with canned jams or jellies and dried herbs or herb mixes. A potentially hazardous item, as the department defines it, stays off your list, and the department's own guidance names concrete examples: cut produce, baked goods garnished with fresh fruit, freeze-dried foods, salsa, pickles, sauces, sprouts, wild mushrooms, meats, dairy, eggs and pet foods.

• Allowed: Baked goods (cookies, cakes, breads, danish, donuts, pastries and pies) that are not potentially hazardous, plus canned jams or jellies and dried herbs or herb mixes
• Not allowed: A potentially hazardous food as the department defines it, plus named examples the department's own guidance excludes: cut produce, baked goods garnished with fresh fruit, freeze-dried foods, salsa, pickles, sauces, sprouts, wild mushrooms, meats, dairy, eggs and pet foods

The sales cap

Missouri sets no cap on cottage food sales.

See what your state allows, online orders included, with the cottage food sales cap checker.

What changed

August 28, 2014: Cottage food production operation created (2014 S.B. 525) with a $50,000 annual gross income cap.

August 28, 2022: H.B. 1697 (2022) removed the income cap and allowed in-state internet sales.

Questions people ask

Do I need to register to sell cottage food in Missouri?

No, Missouri does not require registration. None. A cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment and is not subject to any health or food code regulation other than this statute. Fee: None stated.

What is the cottage food sales cap in Missouri?

Missouri sets no cap on cottage food sales.

Can I take orders online in Missouri?

Yes, you can take orders online. You can hand an order over in person or send it anywhere inside the state.

Can I deliver or ship cottage food in Missouri?

The rule does not address delivery. The rule does not address shipping inside the state.

What does my Missouri cottage food label need to say?

The label must include: The full name and address of the cottage food production operation, The common name of the food, The name of all ingredients, in descending order by weight, The net weight of the food, A list of any allergens in the food, A statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department.

Sources

Laws change; check the linked source before you sell.

• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 196.298, current version (eff. 2022-08-28)revisor.mo.gov
• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 196.298, 2014-2022 versionrevisor.mo.gov
• Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (DHSS, August 2023)health.mo.gov