Cottage food label requirements in South Carolina
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in South Carolina 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. On top of that comes the wording below.
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.
What the label has to say
As published for South Carolina, read on 5 August 2026:
PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.
This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.
The detail
S.C. Code 44-1-143(D) requires the statement to be 'conspicuous', 'printed in all capital letters and in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background'. No point size is specified — an older version of this law required 11-point type and named DHEC; that wording is GONE, do not print it. Label must also carry: name and address of the operation (or an SCDA-issued Home-based Food ID number in place of the address), the product name, ingredients in descending order, and an allergen statement naming each major allergen (tree nuts must name the specific nut). No health claims permitted. The statute's text still says 'the department', a holdover from when DHEC/DPH ran this; SCDA's 2025 guide is the operational authority and issues the ID numbers and variances.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in South Carolina's wording for you 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: