# Home kitchen label rules in Nova Scotia

> Informational only, not legal or food-safety advice. Verify with Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change, Inspection, Compliance and Enforcement Division - Food Safety 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

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

Nothing obliges you to say anything about inspection. If you want to anyway, this is our suggested wording rather than Nova Scotia's, and it carries no legal standing either way:

> Made in a home kitchen that is not inspected by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change.

## Detail

Nova Scotia has a real permit exemption and imposes NO label requirements at all on it. Food Safety Regulations (Health Protection Act), s.3(1)(a) exempts "a dwelling in which food is produced for sale at a public market, temporary food service event, bake sale or directly to the final consumer where (i) the end product (A) does not contain ingredients capable of supporting the growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms, including meat, fish, dairy or egg products, and (B) has a high salt or sugar content, low moisture content or a low pH that inhibits the growth of disease-supporting microorganisms". The department's fact sheet "Preparing low-risk home-baked goods for sale" (https://novascotia.ca/nse/food-protection/docs/Home_Prepared_Low_Risk_Baked_Goods_Fact_Sheet.pdf) says: "If the food you are preparing is considered to be 'low risk' you do not need a permit under the Nova Scotia Food Safety Regulations." You MAY sell at public markets, bake sales, temporary events, and direct to the person who will eat it. You may NOT sell to restaurants, cafeterias, caterers, bakeries, convenience or grocery stores, coffee shops, or to hospitals, health centres, special care or long-term care homes, or licensed child-care centres. The fact sheet's entire packaging section is "Use proper food-grade packaging"; there is no labelling section and no disclosure line. It also warns that CFIA rules and municipal/town requirements may still apply, which is the one place a local desk can enter the picture.

## Sources

- Authority: Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change, Inspection, Compliance and Enforcement Division - Food Safety (Food.Safety@novascotia.ca). Nova Scotia Public Health officers may inspect a home kitchen under the Health Protection Act if a complaint is received.
- Rule: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/hpafood.htm
- Authority page: https://novascotia.ca/nse/food-protection/