Cottage food label requirements in West Virginia
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in West 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 West Virginia, read on 5 August 2026:
This product was made in a non-commercial kitchen that may not be subject to inspection and may contain cross-contact allergens not included in the allergen statement.
This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.
The detail
THE LAW JUST CHANGED. SB 44 (2026) was signed 27 March 2026 and took effect 12 June 2026, adding a new W. Va. Code Article 40 (§19-40-1 to §19-40-7) reorganizing cottage foods. Non-potentially-hazardous foods (ordinary baked goods) stay under §19-35-6 and need no permit, training or inspection. Potentially hazardous cottage foods now REQUIRE a WVDA vendor permit. Neither statute contains fixed label text: §19-35-6 and §19-40-5 both just say "labeled in compliance with the department's labeling standards", so the operative wording lives in WVDA's guidance. Local health departments have a narrow role: under §19-40-3 a local health department may order cessation of production by a potentially-hazardous cottage food permittee if it believes an imminent health hazard exists, in consultation with WVDA. Other label elements per WVDA: producer name, home address and telephone number, common name of the item, ingredients in descending order of predominance, net contents (may be handwritten for non-PHF if legible), FDA allergen statement. Labeling may alternatively be met by a placard at point of sale, a receipt or other document, or published on the website if sold online. WVDA offers free label review and asks to be contacted before you design a label.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in West 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: