Cottage food label requirements in New Jersey

Last checked 5 August 2026 · Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify anything important with New Jersey Department of Health, Cottage Food Operator program before you print a run of labels.

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.

What the label has to say

As published for New Jersey, read on 5 August 2026:

This food is prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Department of Health.

This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.

The detail

Permit is state-issued and the permit NUMBER must appear on the label, along with the operator's name, business name, and the municipality where the food was made followed by 'New Jersey' or 'NJ'. Also required: common name of the product, ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight, and a 'Contains' allergen statement. The same sentence must be posted on a placard, displayed with the permit, whenever selling anywhere other than the operator's or the consumer's residence (N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.4). Local municipalities may separately require their own permits for farmers markets and street fairs, but they do not administer the cottage food rule.

Make one

Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in New Jersey's wording for you and prints a sheet.

What it is What is in it, heaviest first Make the labels

Where to verify all of this

Rules change, and this page can lag behind them. Before you rely on any of it:

• The rule itself
• New Jersey Department of Health, Cottage Food Operator program