California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
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Labeling Requirements for Cottage Food Operations in California
Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy are the six most common foods that cause allergic reactions in people who are CFOs. It is required that allergens be disclosed either in the list of ingredients or in a separate statement.
It is required that the ingredients be listed in descending order of their weight. The total amount can be expressed as either a weight, volume, or quantity (English and metric units).
The Following Items Are Required to Be Listed on Your Label:
Statement of the Product Name The product was manufactured in a facility that was not inspected. What is the Name of Your Company? Address Initials of the County A List of the Ingredients with Their Net Quantities AllergensPermit Number
The Resources of the Government
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/fdbCottageFood.aspx
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab1601-1650/ab1616bill20120921 chaptered.html
California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
In 2012, California became the first state to establish a legislation regulating cottage food operations; this law, known as AB 1616 – The California Homemade Food Act – was signed into law, and it took effect on January 1, 2013. The law was revised in 2013 (by Assembly Bill 1252) and again in 2021 (by Assembly Bills 1144 and 831).
Class A and Class B are the two categories that are available for cottage food operations (CFOs) in the state of California.
Class A CFOs have the ability to sell their wares both in-person and on the internet. They also have the option of shipping their products and using a delivery service provided by a third party (like Postmates).
In addition to this, Class B CFOs are permitted to engage in the indirect selling of their wares by way of retail outlets such as shops, restaurants, and other wholesale establishments. Obtaining a Class B permit will cost you extra money and will include an inspection of your home kitchen.
Class A CFOs are restricted to a maximum of $75,000 in annual sales, while Class B CFOs are permitted to make up to $150,000 in annual sales.
The two groups share the same requirements in every other respect. CFOs are only allowed to have one employee who is not a member of their immediate family, and all sales and delivery must take place within the state of California.
California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
The health department is authorized to make adjustments to this policy at some point in the future.
The majority of foods that do not go bad are on the list.
A new law that went into effect in 2018 (AB 626) authorized "microenterprise home kitchen operations" to sell nearly any kind of food that they had prepared themselves, albeit subject to a number of regulations. However, these "micro-restaurants" are only legal in a select number of counties across the state. It is not possible for home cooks to run both a cottage food operation (which is explained on this page) and a microenterprise home kitchen operation. Instead, they will need to choose between the two options.
Listing of Contents (Table of) Restrictions on the Kinds of Foods That Can Be Sold BusinessLabelingWorkplaceResources Forum\sSelling Where can you sell the food that you've cooked at home?
Authorized Locations
Events Farmers' ' markets HOnlineRestaurants Retail businesses and stalls located along roadsides
Services That Are Allowed
Home Delivery
Mail Order
Services at Wholesale That Are Banned
Catering
Class A and Class B are the two categories that can be assigned to cottage food operations.
California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
Direct sales are the only kind that are permitted with a Class A registration; as a result, you are not permitted to sell your products at retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants, or any other wholesale venues. You are still permitted to sell your products online and ship them within the state if you have a Class A CFO.
With a Class B permit, you are authorized to make both direct and indirect sales, as well as sales at any of the previously stated venues.
All CFOs have the ability to use a third-party delivery provider in addition to being able to send products anywhere inside the state of California (e.g., Postmates, Doordash, UberEats, etc). It is permissible for a restaurant to purchase goods from a Class B CFO and include those goods into the restaurant's cuisine so long as the restaurant makes it clear to the customer, via the menu, that they are doing so. At the time of each and every transaction, every CFO is required to have a copy of their permit or registration on-site (including indirect sales). You are required to put the following on any advertisement that is directed toward the general public, regardless of the medium through which it is distributed (such as a website, social media platform, newspaper, newsletter, or any other type of public announcement): California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
The name of your country
Your driver's license or vehicle registration number.
The phrase "Made in a Home Kitchen" or "Repackaged in a Home Kitchen" may appear on the label of the product.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT STARTING A COUNTRY STORE?
California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
Foods That Are Allowed What kinds of edible items can you sell from the comfort of your own home? Bread Bagels Bis\sbread Brownies Cake s Cake pops Cakes Cookies Cupcakes Donuts Macarons Muffins Pizzel Sweet bread ones Sweet bread Wedding as Waffles Wedding\sButtercream Brittles Cotton Candies Covered in Buttercream Chocolate Cotton candy Fudge Lolli Nut Condiments Hon
Starch pellets Nut b
Arabica Coffee Beans Fruit that has been dried. Eals that have been dried. Arabica Coffee Beans DrPasta noodle Ingredients for flavors and spices Leaves of tea and various other extracts
spices and other flavorings Other types of tea leaves and ts Pastries Churros Cones Da
Fruit butters Candies and Baked Goods Pies Other Condiments and Preserves Fruit
Apples covered in candy Caramel corn confections enrobed in chocolate The snack foods crackers and pretzels Fruit tanned in leather Granola Items covered with a kettle e-cover Kernels and nut foods Popcorn Chips made from vegetables
Foods That Are Not Allowed California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
cooked items that expire quickly Foods that are acidic canned hips with a low acid content Foods That Are Not Allowed baked goo that is perishable foods that have been fermented cans with a low acidity Beverages with carbonation Meat jerkies
There is a good chance that there are even more foods that are off limits, but the ones listed above have been verified.
You are only permitted to sell products that are included on the official list of foods that have been approved for sale. You are only permitted to sell fruit butters, jams, jellies, and preserves that are in accordance with Section 21 CFR 150 of the Federal Food Code. The criteria are complicated, but to simplify things, it's safe to say that high-sugar fruit of almost any kind can be consumed. You can find out more by consulting this resource or by inquiring at the environmental health agency in your area. You need to be aware of the following special restrictions with regard to certain items:
It is only possible to utilize certain kind of icing.
Marshmallows are made without the usage of eggs.
You are only allowed to sell certain tastes when it comes to flavored vinegar.
You are only permitted to sell certain kinds of extracts.
You are only allowed to sell syrup made from sweet sorghum, though; you cannot sell any other kinds of syrup.
California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
Eggs are not allowed to be added to mustard.
The list of foods that are considered acceptable to eat may be updated or expanded upon by the health department. You can make a request for something to be added to the list if you want it to contain anything specific. It is required that all foods be "non-potentially hazardous," yet there are some non-PHFs that may not be permitted. The majority of foods that do not require refrigeration (items that do not contain meat, dairy, etc.) are not thought to pose any significant health risks. Find out more.
Limitations The following questions (how will your home food business be, etc.), among others:
children subject to restrictions Employees limited in their freedoms It is illegal to make sales over state lines. Pets only allowed in this area. Sales limit It is against the law to smoke.
It's possible that there are further restrictions, but the ones listed above have been verified. California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
There is a yearly cap of $150,000 placed on sales.
Class B CFOs are restricted to a maximum of $150,000 in annual sales. Sales
are capped at $75,000 per year in total value.
For Class A CFOs, the maximum allowable annual sales are $75,000.
The maximum number of items that can be sold will be raised by an average of 1% per year beginning in 2023.