Cottage food rules
Home Bakery License in Alabama: What Home Bakers Need
A plain look at what Alabama asks of home bakers before you sell your first loaf.
On this page
What to remember
- Your kitchen has to be your main home.
- Labels carry your name and address, the not inspected statement, and the ingredients.
- A food safety course is part of the deal, through the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service or an ANSI accredited program.
- Sell to the person who eats the bake, not to a shop or a restaurant.
- Alabama sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
If you have been reading about permits and inspections in other states, Alabama reads a little differently. The state puts its home baking rules in one place, and most of them are about your kitchen, your labels, and who hands over the money. It helps to see how this fits with federal cottage food rules before you print a single label.
Where the food has to be made and who can buy it
The kitchen rule is simple and strict. Cottage food has to be prepared in the home, and that home has to be your primary residence. A rented commercial kitchen down the road does not fit, and neither does a second home you use only for baking. The buyer rule matters just as much. Cottage foods must be sold directly to the consumer, so the person who eats your cake is the person who pays you.
What has to be on your label
Alabama’s labeling rule is short, and it is worth getting right the first time. Three things go on every label, and a missing line is the kind of thing that gets noticed at a market table.
Your name and address
The label needs the name and address of the cottage food operation. Use the address you actually bake at, because that is the address the rules are tied to.
The not inspected statement
Say plainly that the food is not inspected by the Health Department. Do not soften it or leave it off because it looks unfriendly.
The ingredient list
List the ingredients in the bake. This is the part your customers with allergies will read first, so keep it clear and complete.
There is one more piece that does not go on the label. The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service runs a food safety course built for cottage food operations. Other food safety courses are accepted too, including any taken through an ANSI accredited program.
What you can bake and how far sales can grow
Alabama’s cottage food rules allow baked goods such as breads, cookies, cakes, and fruit pies, along with candies. There is no dollar limit on cottage food sales in the state, so there is no number you are waiting to hit before you have to stop. What limits you is your own kitchen and your own hours. That is a good problem to have, and it is worth planning for. Bakers nearby run into caps, which is why it helps to compare notes in our look at cottage food regulations in Georgia.
When you want to check the rule against your own situation, the Alabama Department of Public Health page is the one to read. If you would rather sort through state rules a second way, Forrager cottage food laws walks through how to use that site.
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- Federal cottage food laws: what home bakers need to know
- Forrager cottage food laws: how to use it
- Cottage food regulations in Georgia
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my kitchen in Alabama?
Alabama covers home bakers under its Cottage Food Law. The requirements sit in three places. The food must be made in your primary home, the label must carry your name and address, the not inspected statement, and the ingredients, and the sale must go directly to the consumer.
What has to be printed on my labels?
The name and address of the cottage food operation, a statement that the food is not inspected by the Health Department, and the list of ingredients.
Do I have to take a food safety course?
The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service offers a food safety course developed specifically for cottage food operations. Other food safety courses are accepted, including any taken through an ANSI accredited program.
Is there a limit on how much I can sell?
Alabama sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales. Growth is limited by your own kitchen and time rather than a cap in the law.
Can I sell my cakes to a coffee shop to resell?
Cottage foods must be sold directly to the consumer. Wholesale to restaurants or shops, for use or resale, is treated as prohibited.
What can I bake under the law?
Baked goods such as breads, cookies, cakes, and fruit pies are allowed, along with candies.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the details with the Alabama Department of Public Health before you sell.