# Cottage food label requirements in Connecticut

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection before printing labels. Last checked 2026-08-05.

## What goes on the label

1. The product name, in words a customer would use.
2. Every ingredient, heaviest first.
3. The major allergens, called out separately from the ingredient list.
4. Who made it: your name or your business name.
5. How to reach you.
6. The date it was made.

## The required statement

As published for Connecticut:

> Made in a Cottage Food Operation that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection.

Published as fixed text: reproduce it exactly.
Minimum type size: 10 point.

## Detail

Connecticut is a LICENSE state, not a registration state: you must complete a DCP-approved food handler course and hold a Cottage Food Operator license (application fee, via the eLicense portal) before selling. Sample labels are submitted with the application and DCP approves them. Other required label elements: name and address of the cottage food operation (address must include city, state and zip), product name, ingredients in descending order by weight WITH sub-ingredients spelled out ("soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt)" not "soy sauce"), net weight or net volume INCLUDING the metric equivalent, and federal allergen labeling. The statement must be printed in at least 10-point type in a clear and conspicuous manner. Hand-printed labels are allowed if legible, in durable permanent ink, and sized to meet the 10-point requirement. Local health departments do not enforce the label, but you need local zoning approval and, on private well or septic, water testing before DCP will license you.

## Sources

- Authority: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), Food and Standards Division. DCP licenses cottage food operators and approves label samples before you may sell.
- Rule: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/knowledge-base/articles/cottage-foods/cottage-food-label-checklist
- Authority page: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/cottage-foods