Cottage food rules
Michigan Cottage Food Law Label Requirements
Exactly what goes on a Michigan cottage food label, in plain words.
On this page
What to remember
- Put the name of the product on the label. All capitals or upper and lower case are both acceptable.
- List ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight.
- If you have not registered with the MSU Product Center, add the name and address of your operation.
- Being exempt from licensing and inspection does not mean you are exempt from labeling.
- Cakes that are hard to package have their own guidance from MDARD.
If you have been selling without a label, or copying a label from another state, this is the page to read before your next batch goes out. Michigan keeps the list short, but the few items it asks for are not optional. For a filled in version you can look at while you write yours, see a Michigan cottage food label example.
What has to be on a Michigan cottage food label
Start with the product name. MDARD’s labeling guidance says the label must include the name of the cottage food product, and that all capital letters or upper and lower case are both acceptable. So “Sourdough Loaf” and “SOURDOUGH LOAF” both pass. What matters is that a customer can tell what they are holding.
Then the ingredients. The label must list the ingredients of the product in descending order of predominance by weight, which means the ingredient that weighs the most in your recipe goes first and the smallest goes last. Under MCL 289.4102, a cottage food operation that does not register with the MSU Product Center must also include the name and address of the cottage food operation on its label. The same section sets out the cottage food exemption from licensing and evaluation provisions, along with its requirements and that registration program.
Cakes and bakes that are hard to label
Not everything you bake comes in a box. MDARD addresses how to meet labeling requirements when a label cannot be stuck on the product, and names wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and other specialty cakes that are not easily packaged as the examples. That guidance exists because the requirement does not disappear just because the cake is tall. Read the MDARD labeling page for how they want it handled before you take a wedding order.
One more thing worth knowing, since it comes up in bakery groups all the time. MCL 289.4102 states that the subsection does not require a cottage food operation to meet the standards contained in 21 CFR part 110 or the food code. That is the exemption people mean when they say cottage food is lighter touch. It is not a pass on the label.
Build your label step by step
Write the product name
Put the name of the cottage food product on the label. All capitals or upper and lower case are both acceptable.
List ingredients heaviest first
List the ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight, so the ingredient that weighs the most in the batch comes first.
Decide on the address line
If your operation does not register with the MSU Product Center, the label must include the name and address of the cottage food operation.
Handle cakes that cannot take a sticker
Check MDARD’s guidance on meeting labeling requirements when a label cannot be stuck on the product, such as wedding and specialty cakes.
Read the source before you print
Go to the MDARD labeling page and MCL 289.4102 yourself, then finalize your wording.
Once yours is set, it helps to see how other states word the same information, so you can spot what is Michigan specific and what is not. Our guides to Illinois cottage food label requirements and Georgia cottage food labeling requirements are useful side by side with this one.
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Common questions
Does my Michigan cottage food label need the product name in capital letters?
No. MDARD's labeling guidance says all capital letters or upper and lower case are both acceptable, as long as the name of the cottage food product is on the label.
In what order do ingredients go on the label?
In descending order of predominance by weight. The ingredient that weighs the most in your recipe is listed first, and the one that weighs the least is listed last.
Do I have to put my address on the label?
Under MCL 289.4102, a cottage food operation that does not register with the MSU Product Center must include the name and address of the cottage food operation on its label. Check your own situation before printing.
How do I label a wedding cake or a birthday cake?
MDARD addresses how to meet labeling requirements when a label cannot be stuck on the product, and names wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and other specialty cakes that are not easily packaged. Follow that guidance for those orders.
Am I exempt from food safety standards as a cottage food operation?
MCL 289.4102 states that the subsection does not require a cottage food operation to meet the standards in 21 CFR part 110 or the food code. The same law still requires you to comply with the labeling requirements and the other provisions in the Michigan Food Law.
Sources
This is general information about Michigan cottage food labeling, not legal advice. Rules can change. Confirm the current requirements with MDARD and the text of MCL 289.4102 before you print labels or sell.