Cottage food label requirements in Virginia
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in Virginia 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 Virginia, read on 5 August 2026:
NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION
This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.
And one more requirement
- For home-processed honey instead of the above: PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old.
The detail
Statutory basis is Code of Virginia § 3.2-5130. No permit, no application, no annual $40 fee. The label must ALSO carry, on the principal display panel, the name, physical address and telephone number of the person preparing the food, and the date the food was processed, plus standard labeling (product name, net weight, manufacturer name and address, ingredients and subingredients). Big constraint for anyone building an ordering app: exempt products MAY NOT be sold online. VDACS reads "offered for sale" to include an electronic order form, electronic payment, or shipping. Advertising online is fine; taking the order online is not. Sales are limited to the private home where made, a farmers' market, or a temporary event of no more than 14 consecutive days. If the item is too small for a legible label, or is sold for on-site consumption, a sign at the point of sale is an acceptable substitute.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in Virginia'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: