# Cottage food label requirements in South Carolina

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with South Carolina Department of Agriculture 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 South Carolina:

> PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.

Published as fixed text: reproduce it exactly.

## 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.

## Sources

- Authority: South Carolina Department of Agriculture (Consumer Protection / Food Safety) — statewide, no local permit
- Rule: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c001.php
- Authority page: https://agriculture.sc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Home-basedFoodProduction2025_digital.pdf