Cottage food rules
Missouri Cottage Food Law: What Home Bakers Need to Know
Know what Missouri allows before you bake for sale.
What to remember
- No state license for most homemade foods under the law.
- No sales cap on home-produced foods.
- Baked goods, jams, jellies, and dried herbs are named.
- Online sales must stay inside Missouri.
- Call your local health department before you sell.
If you bake from your kitchen and sell to neighbors, the first question is usually simple: what does Missouri allow. The answer starts with the state law, then moves to labels, local health rules, and how you take orders. For a comparison, see Mississippi cottage food laws and Louisiana cottage food law.
What the law covers
Missouri’s cottage food law is RSMo 196.298, and it was amended in 2022 by HB 1697. The law lets a home kitchen sell baked goods, jams, jellies, and dried herbs. Missouri requires no state license to sell most homemade foods under its cottage food law. The law also sets no sales cap on home-produced foods. That means you can plan a home baking business without a state sales limit written into the cottage food law.
Online sales have one clear boundary. Online sales of Missouri cottage foods must stay within the state. Keep online orders within Missouri. Labels are the next piece. The statute directs the department to write rules requiring a cottage food production operation to label all foods it intends to sell to consumers. For a label walk through from another state, see Kentucky cottage food labels.
Labels and local health rules
Missouri’s home-based kitchen guidance advises contacting your local health department, since some local public health agencies have their own food ordinances. The state health department also states there is no separate cottage food rule, because most foods that can be produced in a home setting are covered by the food code’s definition of a food establishment. That is why a local call matters before you print labels or take your first order.
What to check before you sell
Confirm your food is covered
Baked goods, jams, jellies, and dried herbs made in a home kitchen are named in the law. Start there.
Call your local health department
Ask if your local public health agency has its own food ordinances. Missouri’s home-based kitchen guidance advises this call.
Plan your labels
The statute directs the department to write rules requiring a cottage food production operation to label all foods it intends to sell to consumers. Check the current rule before you print.
Keep online sales in Missouri
Online sales of Missouri cottage foods must stay within the state.
Set your prices with real costs
Brevl recipes include real costing and ingredient inventory, so you can price and plan.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
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Once the state and local checks are done, the day to day work is orders, labels, and money. A shop that is yours to customize helps you show your bakes the way you want. Brevl also sets it up with you, and moves your old shop over: products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes.
The law is the starting point, not the finish line. Your label, your local health check, and the way you take orders are what make a home baking business run. Keep the state statute and your local guidance together, and check them again if your menu changes.
Common questions
Do I need a license in Missouri to sell homemade baked goods?
Missouri requires no state license to sell most homemade foods under its cottage food law. Check with your local health department, because some local public health agencies have their own food ordinances.
Is there a sales cap under Missouri's cottage food law?
No. Missouri's cottage food law sets no sales cap on home-produced foods.
Can I sell my cottage foods online in Missouri?
Online sales of Missouri cottage foods must stay within the state.
What foods can I sell from my home kitchen?
Missouri cottage food operations may sell baked goods, jams, jellies, and dried herbs made in a home kitchen.
What does Missouri say about labels?
The statute directs the department to write rules requiring a cottage food production operation to label all foods it intends to sell to consumers.
Do local health rules apply?
Yes. Missouri's home-based kitchen guidance advises contacting your local health department, since some local public health agencies have their own food ordinances.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current statute and your local health department before you sell.