# Home kitchen label rules in British Columbia

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with your regional health authority's environmental health officer 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

British Columbia describes what the label has to get across rather than publishing a sentence to copy. A common form of it:

> THIS FOOD HAS BEEN PREPARED IN A KITCHEN THAT IS NOT INSPECTED BY A REGULATORY AUTHORITY.

Close wording is generally accepted.

## Enforcement

Set centrally, enforced locally, so your own office's answer is the one that counts.
Find yours: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/health-authorities/regional-health-authorities

## Detail

BC has NO cottage food statute. The Home-Based Craft Food Act bills that dominate search results (M228-2019, M206-2020, M207-2022) are opposition private member's bills that never became law; ignore any guide that cites them, including the $75,000 income cap and the FOODSAFE tiers, which are bill text, not BC law. The real source is the BCCDC 'Guideline for the Sale of Foods at Temporary Food Markets' (revised August 2020), produced by BCCDC with the Ministry of Health and all six health authorities. Section II item 2 asks for a SIGN clearly visible to the consumer at the point of sale, not a sticker on the package, and the guideline says "or equivalent wording", which is why verbatim is false. It uses recommendation language ("It is recommended that vendors ... ensure"), so it is guidance rather than a regulation. It covers home-prepared LOWER RISK food (water activity 0.85 or less, or pH 4.6 or less) sold at temporary food markets. Selling home-prepared food outside a temporary market generally needs approval or a permit from the regional health authority under the Food Premises Regulation (B.C. Reg. 210/99). The guideline also flags that home-packaged food may be subject to CFIA and Health Canada label rules.

## Sources

- Authority: your regional health authority's environmental health officer (Fraser, Interior, Island, Northern, or Vancouver Coastal Health); BCCDC and the Ministry of Health write the guideline
- Rule: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/-/media/Project/FraserHealth/FraserHealth/Health-Topics/Food-Safety/202008_Guidelines_Sale_of_Foods_at_Temporary_Food_Markets.pdf
- Authority page: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/keeping-bc-healthy-safe/food-safety