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Cottage food law

North Carolina cottage food law

North Carolina has no separate cottage food law. Home food businesses are inspected under the state's Home Processor program, which allows only shelf-stable foods and sets no sales cap.

Checked against the law

The rules at a glance

Home Processor program

  • Unattended honesty stand?

    Not addressed

    Self-service sales must be packaged and labeled. No rule on an empty stand.

  • Sign up with the state?

    Yes

    No separate cottage food law here. Apply for a state inspection before you sell. No permit is issued.

    Source
    • If you are interested in producing and selling food products for human consumption from your home, you will need to first have your home kitchen inspected before doing soNCDA&CS: Home Processor
    • A permit is not issued, but inspectors will provide the home processor with a copy of the inspection reportNCDA&CS: Home Processor

  • Food safety class?

    Sometimes

    Only if you make pickles or other acidified foods.

    Source
    • applicants planning on producing acidified food products may be required to take an Acidified Food Course and must also provide a Certificate of Completion along with your applicationNCDA&CS: Home Processor

  • Kitchen inspection?

    Yes

    Before you sell. You get a Notice of Inspection, not a permit.

    Source
    • a Food Regulatory Specialist will contact you to arrange a home processing facility inspectionNCDA&CS: Home Processor
    • A home-based kitchen inspector checks the kitchen to be sure it is clean, constructed of suitable materials and is free of any pest activityNCDA&CS: Home Processor

  • Yearly sales limit

    No limit

    No yearly cap. The state page has no sales limit.

    Source

  • Foods that need a fridge?

    No

    Shelf-stable only. Nothing that needs a fridge or freezer.

    Source

  • Take orders online?

    Not addressed

    The state page covers pickup and delivery, not online orders.

    Source

  • Ship or mail orders?

    Yes

    A label is required on anything you ship.

    Source
    • Labels shall also be required if products are shipped using postal services such as USPS or FEDEXNCDA&CS: Home Processor

  • Sell through shops?

    Yes

    You can sell to retail stores, distributors and restaurants.

    Source
    • This includes anyone selling to retail stores, restaurants, or directly to consumersNCDA&CS: Home Processor
    • Food product labels shall be required if products are individually packaged for self-service sale or sold wholesale to retail stores, distributors, or restaurantsNCDA&CS: Home Processor

What goes on the label

Required wording

No special wording is required. Packaged, shipped or wholesale sales need a label.

Source
  • The label must be affixed to the package bearing the following: 1. Product name 2. Manufacturers name and address 3. Net weight of the product in ounces/pounds and the gram weight equivalent 4. Complete list of ingredients in order of predominance by weightNCDA&CS: Home Processor

The label also shows

  • The product name
  • Your business name and address
  • Net weight in ounces or pounds, and in grams
  • Ingredients, heaviest first
  • Allergens, in the ingredients or a Contains statement
Source
  • The label must be affixed to the package bearing the following: 1. Product name 2. Manufacturers name and address 3. Net weight of the product in ounces/pounds and the gram weight equivalent 4. Complete list of ingredients in order of predominance by weightNCDA&CS: Home Processor
  • all allergens must be listed in the ingredient statement or in a "Contains" statement immediately following the ingredientsNCDA&CS: Home Processor

Before your first sale

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) before you sell, and again if you add a new food or a new way of selling.

We check these sources every month and update this page when they change.

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