Free tool · Cottage food label rules

New Jersey cottage food label rules

What has to be on the label when you sell homemade baked goods in New Jersey, and the limits that matter at a market. Checked September 2026.

Another state Confirmed in official sources

Your label must include

Common name of the product
Ingredients in descending order by weight
Allergens (‘Contains’ statement)
Operator’s name
Business name
Cottage Food Operator Permit number
Municipality and state (‘New Jersey’ or ‘NJ’)
Required statement (below)

Required statement

“This food is prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Department of Health”

No font size is specified. When selling away from home, the permit and the statement must also be displayed.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, toffee bits (sugar, butter, almonds, soy lecithin), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt.

Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts (almond), soy.

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, NJ 00000

[Municipality and state (‘New Jersey’ or ‘NJ’)]

This food is prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Department of Health

Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Key limits in New Jersey

Permit: Cottage Food Operator Permit required: $100 non-refundable, valid 2 years.
Training: Food Protection Manager certification from an accredited program (a food handler card is not enough)
Sales cap: $50,000 gross annual sales
Where you can sell: Direct to consumer only: at your home (no on-site eating), at the consumer’s home in NJ, farmers markets, farm stands, and temporary events (craft fairs, street events, county fairs). No retail stores, restaurants or wholesale.
Online & shipping: You may advertise, take orders and accept payment online, but handoff must be in person (pickup or delivery). No mail or common carrier, and no out-of-state shipping.
Law: Cottage Food Operator rules, N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 (adopted 2021)

What we could not confirm (1)

Whether net weight is required (not in N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.4 list)

Check with: New Jersey Department of Health

Last change to the law: Rules adopted July 2021, effective October 4, 2021; no later amendment found

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

BakersKeep builds your New Jersey label from each recipe: ingredients in order, allergens and the required statement. Change a recipe and every label updates. It also prices your cookies, takes pre-orders and writes the week’s posts.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with New Jersey Department of Health before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

New Jersey cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

Other states