Cottage Food Label for Sourdough Bread: 5 Rules (2026)

On this page

1. What has to be on a sourdough label
2. Where your state’s rule lives
3. Mistakes that cost you money
4. Build the label once and reuse it
5. What a loaf costs after the label

Cottage food products have to be labeled under your state’s rules and the federal labeling rules that sit under them, and a loaf of sourdough is no different. This guide covers what a cottage food label for sourdough bread has to say, where your state’s version lives, and what a wrong label costs you.

What has to be on a sourdough label

For a home sourdough baker, the label carries your producer name and address, the ingredients, the 9 major allergens including sesame, the net weight, and the disclaimer your state requires, according to DoughPlan’s cottage food labeling guide. Those five lines are the core of the label in most states.

List the ingredients that are actually in the loaf, and weigh a cooled loaf so the net weight on the label matches what the buyer takes home. If your loaves vary, weigh each one and print that number. A label that falls off in the bag is not doing its job, so tape it flat or use a sticker that stays put.

California asks for two more things. Its cottage food label needs a 12-point Made in a Home Kitchen line and your permit number, on top of ingredients, allergens, and net weight, according to BakeProfit’s California labeling requirements. If you bake in California, those two lines are not optional.

Where your state’s rule lives

There is no single national cottage food label. The California Department of Public Health says cottage food products are required to be labeled in accordance with specific state and federal labeling regulations. Your state’s sheet is the one to follow, and the federal rules sit underneath it.

Start with your own state’s page. Our guide to cottage food laws labeling covers the items most states share, and the cottage food rules hub collects the state pages in one place so you can find yours fast.

Some states put the label rules on the same page as the food safety rules. Others keep them in a separate sheet. If you cannot find the label section, call your state agriculture or health department and ask what a cottage food label has to say.

Rules move. A line that was not required last year can be required this year, so check your state’s sheet again before you print a big run. If you are still deciding whether bread is allowed where you live, can I sell bread from my house walks through that first.

Mistakes that cost you money

The expensive label mistakes are small. A missing allergen, a disclaimer with the wrong wording, or a net weight that does not match the loaf can get your product pulled from a table. The reprint is cheap. The lost market day is not.

Check three things before you commit to a print run. Your state’s exact disclaimer wording, whether your permit or registration number has to appear, and whether the allergen line names all 9. Fixing any of those after printing means paying for the labels twice.

Keep a copy of the label you printed and the date you printed it. If a rule changes, you can see which labels are out of date and which loaves went out with them. If you are new to this, how to apply for cottage food law covers the registration step that comes before the label. California bakers can see the same rules applied to a different product in our CA cottage food label for cinnamon rolls guide.

Build the label once and reuse it

Once the label is right, it is the same label every week. Build it once, save the file, and change only the weight and the date.

1. 1

   Write the five required lines

   Your name and address, the ingredients, the 9 major allergens, the net weight, and your state’s disclaimer.

2. 2

   Add your state extras

   In California that means a 12-point Made in a Home Kitchen line and your permit number.

3. 3

   Set the size and the spot

   Use the point size your state names, and put the label where a buyer sees it before the first cut.

4. 4

   Weigh the loaf and fill in the number

   Print the net weight of that loaf, not an average from last week.

5. 5

   Save the file and reprint

   Keep one label file. Change the weight and the date, then print only what you need.

What a loaf costs after the label

Say a loaf uses $1.60 of flour, starter, and salt, plus $0.45 for the bag and the label. Your hands are on it for 20 minutes and you pay yourself $15 an hour, which is $5.00. Brevl is one flat $20 a month, and at 40 loaves a month that is $0.50 a loaf. Total cost $7.55. At $12 a loaf your margin is $4.45, about 37 percent.

Now take the label out of the picture. If a missing allergen gets the loaf pulled, you do not lose $0.45 of packaging. You lose the $7.55 you already spent, and the sale that was going to cover it.

Price the loaf before you print the label, not after. If the margin is thin, the fix is usually the size of the loaf or the price, not the label.

Common questions

Does a sourdough label need a net weight?

Yes. Net weight is one of the items a cottage food label carries, and it is the weight of the bread itself, not the bread plus the bag. Weigh the loaf after it cools and print that number. If your loaves vary, weigh each one.

Do I need a permit number on my label?

Only if your state asks for it. California requires your permit number on a cottage food label, along with a 12-point Made in a Home Kitchen line. Other states ask for a registration number, and some ask for nothing at all. Check your own state's sheet before you print.

Which allergens have to be listed?

The label lists the 9 major allergens, and sesame is one of them. On a plain sourdough that usually means wheat. If your starter or your add ins bring in milk, eggs, or tree nuts, those go on the label too. List what is actually in the loaf.

Can I use one label in every state I sell in?

No. Cottage food products are labeled under your state's rules, and the disclaimer wording and the number you must show change from state to state. If you sell across a state line, keep a separate label file for each state and print the right one.

How much does a label add to the cost of a loaf?

The paper and ink are the smallest part of your cost. The real cost is the reprint. A run of labels with the wrong disclaimer or a missing allergen has to be thrown out and paid for twice, and a pulled product can cost you a whole market day.

Sources

1. Cottage Food Labeling Requirements
2. Cottage Food Labeling Guide
3. California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements

This is general information about cottage food labeling, not legal advice. Label rules differ by state and they change. Check your own state's current requirements before you print.