Cottage food rules
Kentucky Cottage Food Laws: What Home Bakers Need
A plain look at Kentucky home-based processor registration, foods you can sell, and labels that hold up.
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What to remember
- Register with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services before you sell.
- Baked goods, jams, and jellies are named as foods allowed after registration.
- Your label needs the operation name and address, the food name, and ingredients in descending order.
- Major allergens must be identified: milk, eggs, wheat, soybean (soy), peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish.
- Registration is ongoing, so you can start when you are ready.
If you bake from your Kentucky kitchen and sell to neighbors, the first thing to sort out is registration. The state treats you as a home-based processor. The rules below are the ones to check before you take your next order. For a closer look at recent changes, read Kentucky cottage food laws update.
Register before you sell
To sell homemade food in Kentucky, you first register with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The kitchen remains your own. Registration is ongoing, so you can start the process when you are ready. If you have questions about home-based processing, call the Food Safety Branch at (502) 564-7181.
Contact the state
Reach the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and register as a home-based processor. Registration is ongoing.
Keep your kitchen
The kitchen remains your own under this registration.
Check your foods
Baked goods, jams, and jellies are named as allowable once registration is complete. Build your menu around foods the state allows.
Make your label
Put the operation name and address, the common or usual food name, and ingredients in descending order on the label.
Call out allergens
Identify any ingredient that contains milk, eggs, wheat, soybean (soy), peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, or shellfish.
What you can sell and what goes on the label
The state names baked goods, jams, and jellies as foods that become allowable after home-based processor registration. If you sell those foods, your label needs the name and address of your home-based processing operation, the common or usual name of the food, and the ingredients listed in descending order.
If you want to sell a food outside the named list, call the Food Safety Branch at (502) 564-7181 before you sell it. The same number can answer questions about home-based processing.
Allergen identification is also required for all ingredients that contain any of the major food allergens: milk, eggs, wheat, soybean (soy), peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish. Put that information where a buyer can see it before they pay. If you are comparing rules across state lines, Indiana cottage food law is a useful neighbor guide, and Tennessee cottage food laws covers another nearby state.
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A label is not the only record to keep. Write down the foods you make and the ingredients you use, so your next label is easy to copy. Keep the state label guide where you can find it.
Keep your shop records simple
After registration, the day to day work is keeping labels correct and keeping track of what you sold. Write down what you made, what you sold, and what you have left. That record makes the next label and the next order easier. That record also helps you answer a buyer’s question about ingredients.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my Kentucky kitchen?
KRS 217.136 exempts home-based processors from the permit requirement. You still register with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services before you sell.
What foods can I sell after I register?
The state names baked goods, jams, and jellies as foods that become allowable once home-based processor registration is complete. Call the Food Safety Branch about anything outside those foods.
What has to go on my label?
The name and address of your home-based processing operation, the common or usual name of the food, and the ingredients in descending order. You also need to identify major allergens.
Which allergens do I have to list?
Milk, eggs, wheat, soybean (soy), peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish.
Is registration ongoing?
Yes. Registration for home-based processors in Kentucky is ongoing, and the Food Safety Branch can answer questions at (502) 564-7181.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Check with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services or a lawyer for your situation.