Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Packaging Rules (2026): Labels and Costs
What your cottage food packaging must say, what it costs per order, and how to pack so nothing arrives broken.
On this page
What to remember
- Your label decides the box. Check the label rules before you buy in bulk.
- Packaging is a cost per item, not a monthly surprise.
- A crushed box costs you the order and the customer.
- Write the label once, then reuse it on every size you sell.
Packaging is the last thing you think about and the first thing your customer sees. Good cottage food packaging does two jobs at once: it carries the label your state requires, and it gets the food to the buyer in one piece. Here is how to pick both without wasting money.
What your label has to say before you buy a box
Start with the label, because the label decides how much flat space you need. The California Department of Public Health says cottage food products must be labeled under state and federal labeling rules. The exact fields your state wants are the ones that count, so read that list before you order in bulk. Our guide to what a cottage food label looks like walks through the usual pieces.
A sticker that wraps a jar is a different shape from a sticker that sits flat on a box lid. Measure the flat space first, pick the sticker size second, and pick the box last. Doing it in the other order is how you end up with a pretty box and nowhere to put the required text.
Small items are the hard case. A cookie in a clear bag has almost no flat space, so plan the sticker around the item instead of the other way around. If the space is too tight, a slightly larger bag or a box with a lid gives you room to work with.
What packaging costs per order
Packaging is a cost per item, the same as butter or eggs. A bag, a sticker, a tie, and a box add up on every single order. If you leave them out of your price, you are paying for them yourself.
Say you sell a dozen cookies for $18. Ingredients come to $4. Your time is 40 minutes at $15 an hour, so $10. Your Brevl shop is $20 a month and you sell about 40 orders a month, so that is 50 cents an order. Packaging is $2. Total cost is $16.50, and your margin is $1.50 a dozen. Count ingredients only and you would think you made $14.
Buying in bulk lowers the price per box, but only if you are sure about the size. A case of 500 boxes that do not fit your label is money gone. Buy a small pack, sell through it, then buy the case.
Packing so a cake or a cookie box arrives whole
Match the box to the trip
A box that rides in your car to a market needs less protection than one that ships across the state.
Fill the empty space
If the item can slide, it can break. A paper liner or a snug insert stops the slide.
Keep damp away from crisp
Anything soft or damp goes in its own bag so it does not soften what sits next to it.
Put the label on the flattest surface
A flat lid is easier to read on a table and easier to sticker than a curved side.
Test one order before you sell fifty
Pack one, carry it around for an hour, then open it and look.
The trip matters more than the box. A box that goes into a car and comes out at a market table has an easy life. A box that goes into the mail has to survive being stacked and dropped, so it needs a sturdier outer layer.
Mistakes that cost you money
The priciest mistake is buying in bulk before you know your label fits. The next is picking a box that photographs well but has no flat surface for the required text. The third is treating packaging as a one time purchase instead of a cost on every order.
One more cost people forget: the sample. Every box you give away to a friend or a market organizer is a box you paid for. That is fine, but put it in your numbers so it does not surprise you at the end of the month.
Packaging is a business cost, and there is a guide to cottage food business tax deductions if you want to keep track of it properly.
What to check before you commit
Your state class decides where you can sell, and where you sell decides how tough your packaging has to be. In California, the cottage food program is split into two classes, according to foodhandlercert.org. Home food sellers register with the state first, and the Class A sales cap is $88,878 a year while Class B is $177,756, according to the Cottage Food Law Library.
A box that sits on a store shelf takes more handling than a box you hand to a neighbor. Check your class and your selling channel before you order a shipping case. If you are still registering, start with cottage food operation registration and permits.
The rules side of this business is bigger than packaging. The cottage food rules hub collects the guides on labels, permits, and what you can sell.
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Common questions
Do I need a label on every package?
If your state requires a label, it goes on each item you sell, not once per order. A box of six cookies needs the label on the box, and a single cookie sold alone needs its own. Check your state's list for the exact wording.
Can I print my own labels at home?
You can print labels at home as long as the text is readable and the ink does not smear. Test one on the real box before you print a whole sheet. A smudged label looks careless and can make the required text hard to read.
How much should I budget for packaging per item?
Work it out per item, not per month. Add the bag, the sticker, the tie, and the box, then divide by how many items are in the order. Put that number into your price the same way you put in flour.
What if my box is too small for the label?
Then the box is wrong, not the label. Move up a size, or switch to a box with a flat lid that gives you a clean panel. Buying a bigger box costs less than selling food with a label nobody can read.
Should I charge more for nicer packaging?
Only if the customer sees the difference. A sturdy box that arrives whole is worth paying for. A ribbon that adds a dollar and breaks in the bag is not. Test the price at your market before you commit to a premium box.
Do I need different packaging for shipping?
Yes. A box that travels by mail needs a sturdier outer layer and a snug fit so nothing slides. Pack one order, mail it to yourself, and open it before you sell a shipping option to anyone.
Sources
This is general information about cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules differ by state, so check your own state's requirements before you sell.