Cottage food label requirements in Pennsylvania
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in Pennsylvania carries six things wherever you are: what it is, everything in it heaviest first, the major allergens, who made it, how to reach you, and the date. Unusually, Pennsylvania asks for no "not inspected" line on top of that.
What goes on the label
- The product name, in words a customer would use.
- Every ingredient, heaviest first.
- The major allergens, called out separately from the ingredient list.
- Who made it: your name or your business name.
- How to reach you.
- The date it was made.
Pennsylvania asks for no "not inspected" line
The kitchen is inspected before any sale, so there is nothing to disclaim. Everything else above still applies.
The detail
This is the important one to get right: Pennsylvania is NOT a cottage food state. Anything made in a home or home-style kitchen for sale must be registered with PDA as a Limited Food Establishment, and the registration is granted only after a plan review and an on-site inspection of the kitchen (application at least 60 days before production; notify the sanitarian 10 days before production to schedule the registration inspection; ~$35). Because the kitchen IS inspected, PDA's label list contains no not-inspected disclaimer at all. The required label items are: name of product, name and address of manufacturer, ingredients in decreasing order by weight, allergen declaration if needed, and net weight or unit count. Bakery items made from scratch or mix and sold directly to the consumer by the baker are exempt from on-product labeling entirely, though ingredient information must be available on request; product sold through a retail facility the baker does not own needs full labeling on the package or posted at the display. Pets may not be present in the home. Only shelf-stable, non-TCS foods. Sale venues are a separate license: PDA's farmers market guidance says retail food facility licensing and inspection is handled by "the appropriate authorized agency, typically either the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) or a local or county health department," so the market or stand a baker sells at may answer to a local health department even though the kitchen registration does not.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It leaves the inspection line off, as Pennsylvania asks, and prints a sheet.
Where to verify all of this
Rules change, and this page can lag behind them. Before you rely on any of it: