# Cottage food label requirements in New York

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Division of Food Safety and Inspection 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

New York describes what the label has to get across rather than publishing a sentence to copy. A common form of it:

> Made in a Home Kitchen

Close wording is generally accepted.

## Detail

New York's scheme is the Home Processor Exemption from the Article 20-C food processing licence, administered by NYS Ag & Markets. The wording is explicitly flexible: the guidance says home processors should add 'a phrase like' one of 'Made at Home by XYZ', 'Made in the Home Kitchen of XYZ', or 'Made in a Home Kitchen'. Minimum type is 1/16 inch or larger, which is a HEIGHT, not a point size, so statement_min_pt is null. Roughly 1/16 inch of letter height corresponds to about 4.5 pt of type but do not print that as a legal equivalence. NY also requires net quantity of contents on the label, which many states do not: product common name, ingredients by descending weight, net quantity, processor name and full address, and allergens (eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, soybeans, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, sesame).

## Sources

- Authority: New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Division of Food Safety and Inspection (Home Processor Exemption)
- Rule: https://agriculture.ny.gov/food-safety/home-processing
- Authority page: https://agriculture.ny.gov/food-safety/home-processing