Cottage food label requirements in Wisconsin
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, read on 5 August 2026:
This product was made in a private home not subject to state licensing or inspection.
This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.
And one more requirement
- Home-canned goods only: a sign must be displayed at the place of sale stating "These canned goods are homemade and not subject to state inspection."
The detail
Wisconsin has NO general cottage food statute, and this matters. There are two separate and unrelated tracks. (1) HOME-CANNED GOODS, the "Pickle Bill", Wis. Stat. § 97.29(2)(b)2: pickles and other processed vegetables or fruits at equilibrium pH 4.6 or lower, $5,000 annual sales cap, sold only at community or social events and farmers' markets in Wisconsin. That is where the quoted statutory label text comes from, along with the required point-of-sale sign. Label must also carry the name and address of the person who canned it, the date canned, and ingredients in descending order of prominence with allergen common names. (2) BAKED GOODS: home bakers operate under a 2017 Lafayette County circuit court injunction (Kivirist v. DATCP) that bars DATCP from enforcing food licensure against home bakers of shelf-stable non-hazardous baked goods sold direct to consumer. No cap, no permit, no fee, no registration. The Court of Appeals in Wisconsin Cottage Food Association v. DATCP (2024 WI App 69) REFUSED to extend that to unbaked goods such as candy, fudge and rice cereal treats, and the Supreme Court denied review, so unbaked items still need a license.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in Wisconsin'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: