# Cottage food label requirements in Wisconsin

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 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 Wisconsin:

> This product was made in a private home not subject to state licensing or inspection.

Published as fixed text: reproduce it exactly.

## Other requirements

- 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."

## 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.

## Sources

- Authority: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), Division of Food and Recreational Safety (608-224-4923, datcpdfslicensing@wisconsin.gov)
- Rule: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/97/II/29/2/b/2
- Authority page: https://datcp.wi.gov/pages/programs_services/fshomecannedfoods.aspx