Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law in Mississippi: What Home Bakers Must Know
A plain answer on what you can sell from your Mississippi kitchen, and the one number you have to keep your eye on.
On this page
What to remember
- Your bakes have to be non-potentially hazardous, so nothing that needs time or temperature control for safety.
- No permit, no registration, and no fee, as long as you stay within the rules.
- There is a $35,000 annual sales cap.
- The Mississippi State Department of Health oversees cottage food operations.
- A private home is wherever you live, whether that is a house or not.
If you are just starting out and want to see how Mississippi sits next to other states, start with our cottage food law list before you buy a single box or print a single label. Then come back here, because the details below are the ones that decide what goes on your table and what stays off it.
What counts as cottage food in Mississippi
Cottage food means products that are specific types of foods individuals are allowed to make in their private homes with the intention of selling those food items for public consumption. The state draws a firm line: cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous foods that do not require time and temperature controls for safety.
That line is the one to hold onto when you plan a menu. A private home, for this purpose, is the place where an individual lives, regardless of whether it is a house. So your apartment kitchen counts the same as a farmhouse kitchen. Our guide to cottage food law guidelines walks through the checks bakers usually run before adding a new item to their list.
Who oversees cottage food in Mississippi
Although cottage food products are not directly regulated, they are overseen by the Mississippi State Department of Health. That distinction matters when you are trying to work out who to call. The department publishes a document called Cottage Food Operations: Questions and Answers, updated September 2023, and it is the plainest place to check a question before you guess at it.
One related point worth knowing: only establishments that charge for food prepared or served are subject to regulation in the state. If you are unsure whether what you are doing tips over into something more than cottage food, our guide to the cottage food law exemption explains what that word really covers.
Staying inside the rules as you grow
Check the food, not the recipe name
Ask whether the item needs time or temperature control to be safe. If it does, it is not a cottage food product in Mississippi.
Keep a running sales total
Add up every sale as it happens so the $35,000 annual cap never arrives as a surprise in December.
Read the state questions and answers
The Mississippi State Department of Health publishes Cottage Food Operations: Questions and Answers, updated September 2023. Read it once properly, then keep it handy.
Label like you mean it
What goes on your label is its own topic. Our guide to the cottage food law disclaimer covers the wording bakers ask about most.
None of this has to feel like paperwork. You are baking in your own kitchen, taking orders from people who know your name, and keeping a simple record of what you sold. That is the whole job. The rules are there so you can do it without a wobble.
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Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my home in Mississippi?
Mississippi requires no permit, registration, or fee to operate a cottage food business, as long as you stay within the rules, including the $35,000 annual sales cap.
What does non-potentially hazardous mean?
It means the food does not require time or temperature controls for safety. Cottage food products in Mississippi must be non-potentially hazardous foods.
Who oversees cottage food in Mississippi?
The Mississippi State Department of Health oversees cottage food operations, even though cottage food products are not directly regulated.
What is the sales limit for cottage food in Mississippi?
The annual sales cap is $35,000. Staying under it is part of what keeps you inside the rules.
Where can I read the state's own answers?
The Mississippi State Department of Health publishes Cottage Food Operations: Questions and Answers, updated September 2023.
Sources
- Mississippi Cottage Food Operations: Regulations and Guidance, MSU Extension
- Cottage Food Operations, Mississippi State Department of Health (PDF)
- Cottage Food Operations: Questions and Answers, MSDH
- Food Protection, Mississippi State Department of Health
- Mississippi, Cottage Food Law Library
- Mississippi Senate Bill 2394
This is general information about Mississippi cottage food law, not legal advice. Rules can change. Confirm the details with the Mississippi State Department of Health before you sell.