Cottage food rules
Does Ohio Have Cottage Food Laws? What Home Bakers Can Sell
What Ohio's cottage food law lets you bake, label, and sell from your own kitchen.
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What to remember
- Ohio names bakery products, jams, jellies, and candy as cottage food items.
- You cannot process acidified foods, low acid canned foods, or potentially hazardous foods.
- Cottage food products may only be sold in Ohio.
- Properly identified and labeled products may be sold directly to the consumer from the home where they are produced.
- Cottage food products are subject to food sampling by the state.
If you bake from your own kitchen and sell to neighbors, the question of whether Ohio allows it comes up fast. The short answer is that Ohio law has a name for what you are doing, a cottage food production operation, and it sets out what that operation can and cannot make. The Ohio Department of Agriculture publishes a cottage foods resource page that points back to Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code, so that chapter is the place to start.
What Ohio counts as cottage food
The chapter names bakery products, jams, jellies, and candy. That is the list to work from when you are planning a menu. If you are unsure whether a specific item fits, ask the Ohio Department of Agriculture before you sell it rather than guessing.
That limit shapes what your kitchen can take on. Some of the things home bakers ask about most, like shelf stable jars that need special processing, fall outside the cottage food rules in Ohio. Keep your menu inside bakery products, jams, jellies, and candy and you stay on the right side of the line.
Where you can sell in Ohio
Cottage food products may only be sold in Ohio. There is no shipping a box of cookies to a customer in another state under these rules. Products that are properly identified and labeled may be sold directly to the consumer from the home where the products are produced.
That makes your own address part of your business. Customers come to you, so the label and the pickup details you hand them carry real weight. It also means your shop page should tell people plainly where to find you and when.
Labels and sampling
Section 3715.023 of the Ohio Revised Code sets out labeling requirements for a cottage food production operation, a processor, or a beekeeper. Read that section before you print your first sticker, because the label is what makes a home sale a properly identified sale.
Be ready for a knock too. All cottage food products as outlined in rule 901:3-20-04 of the Administrative Code are subject to food sampling conducted by the director of agriculture or a representative. Knowing that ahead of time keeps a routine check from turning into a bad afternoon.
Once you know your limits, the work shifts to running the baking side well. Brevl keeps your recipes with real costing, tracks your ingredient inventory, and holds a weekly planner, so you can price a batch and plan the week before the orders land. We set it up with you and move your old shop over, products, photos, reviews, and dates, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
If you are close to a state line
Ohio rules stop at the Ohio border, and the states around it each write their own list of allowed foods. If you live near the edge of the state, compare Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky before you assume the same items are allowed on both sides.
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Start with Chapter 3715, check the Ohio Department of Agriculture cottage foods page, then get your label right. Do those three things and you can sell bakery products, jams, jellies, and candy from your own kitchen with confidence.
Common questions
Can I sell my Ohio cottage foods to customers in another state?
No. Cottage food products may only be sold in Ohio.
Can I sell from my home in Ohio?
Yes. Cottage food products that are properly identified and labeled may be sold directly to the consumer from the home where the products are produced.
What foods does Ohio name as cottage food items?
Bakery products, jams, jellies, and candy are named in Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Can I make canned goods or acidified foods at home in Ohio?
No. A cottage food production operation shall not process acidified foods, low acid canned foods, or potentially hazardous foods.
Can the state test my products?
Yes. All cottage food products as outlined in rule 901:3-20-04 of the Administrative Code are subject to food sampling conducted by the director of agriculture or a representative.
Where do I read the rules myself?
Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code, Section 3715.023 on labeling, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture cottage foods resource page.
Sources
This is general information about Ohio cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules can change. Read Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Department of Agriculture cottage foods page, or ask the department directly, before you sell.