# Home kitchen label rules in Manitoba

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with Manitoba Health public health inspectors 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.

## No "not inspected" statement is required

Manitoba publishes no such wording, so there is nothing you have to print.

## Detail

Manitoba has NO cottage food scheme. The province's own page states that preparing and serving food from home-based businesses for public consumption is prohibited, with one exception: non-potentially hazardous foods sold at a farmers' market, flea market, craft sale or bake sale, under the Farmers' Market Guidelines. Anything else needs a commercial kitchen and a health permit with regular inspections; a Food Handler Training Certificate on its own is not enough. The Farmers' Market Guidelines (June 2026 revision) put the health permit on the MARKET, held by a designated Market Coordinator, rather than on the individual vendor. Section 7 of those guidelines is the entire label rule for home-packaged food and requires exactly four things: business/vendor name and contact details (phone or email), common name of the food, ingredient list, and the date the food was prepared. There is no not-inspected line and no point size. Individually unpackaged or portioned products need no label at all, but the same information must be readily available from the vendor. Also prohibited: home-canned food other than jam, jelly and pickles; hermetically sealed containers not filled in a government inspected plant, same jam/jelly/pickle exception at pH 4.6 or lower; uninspected meat; unpasteurized milk. Potentially hazardous foods must be prepared, packaged and labelled by an approved establishment. Federal CFIA rules still apply on top.

## Sources

- Authority: Manitoba Health public health inspectors (Environmental Health, Health Protection Unit)
- Rule: https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/environmentalhealth/protection/docs/farmers_market.pdf
- Authority page: https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/environmentalhealth/protection/home.html