What you bake
Texas Dog Treat Labeling Requirements (2026): 2 Rules
What has to sit on the front of a Texas dog treat label, and what it costs to print.
On this page
What to remember
- The product name and the quantity statement go on the principal display panel.
- Weigh a filled bag before you write the number.
- A label is a cost per bag, so count it in your price.
- Ask the state agency that handles animal feed what else it wants on the label.
If you sell homemade dog treats from your kitchen, the label is the part a buyer reads before she decides. Texas dog treat labeling requirements are shorter than most bakers expect, but the two items that are spelled out have to sit in the right place. Get those right first, then build the rest of the label around them.
What has to sit on the front panel
Texas Administrative Code section 63.2(a) requires two things on the principal display panel: the product name and the quantity statement. That is the panel a buyer sees when the bag is on a market table or a shelf. Put both where they can be read without turning the bag over.
The quantity statement tells the buyer how much is in the bag. Weigh a filled bag and use that number, and keep the same wording on every bag of the same product so a repeat customer sees the same thing each time.
Those two items are not the whole label. Your kitchen name, your contact details, and the ingredients can live on the back, where there is room to write them out. Keep the front for the two things the rule names.
Weigh a filled bag before you write the number
Fill three bags the way you normally fill them and weigh each one. If they land within a few grams of each other, use that number. If they swing wide, fix your scoop before you print, because the label has to match what is actually in the bag.
Write the quantity the same way on every bag of that product. A buyer who sees 8 oz on one bag and 227 g on the next will message you to ask which one is right, and that is a question you answer twice.
Lay out the panel so it reads at arm’s length
Start with the product name
Put the words the buyer uses at the top, large enough to read from a few feet away at a market table.
Add the quantity statement
Same panel, close to the name, in a similar size so neither one hides the other.
Leave the back for the rest
Ingredients, your kitchen name, and your contact details go on the back where there is more room.
Print one and test it
Stick a sample on a filled bag and look at it on your phone screen and across the table before you order a roll.
A phone photo is how most of your buyers will first see the bag. If the name and the quantity blur in a small picture, make them bigger. The front panel is doing the selling, so it has to survive a screenshot.
Keep the type plain. A script font looks lovely on a cake box and turns to fog on a small sticker. The name and the quantity should be the two easiest things to read on the whole bag.
What one batch of labels costs you
Say a batch makes 24 bags. Ingredients come to $18, bags and printed labels to $9, and two hours of your time at $15 an hour is $30. Overhead is $8: $5 of your $20 Brevl month spread across four batches, plus $3 of power. That is $65 for the batch, or $2.71 a bag. At $8 a bag you take $192 and keep $127, about 66 percent.
Run the same math for a second product before you assume the first one is fine. A heavier bag uses more ingredients and a bigger sticker, and the price has to move with it.
Mistakes that cost you money
The expensive mistake is printing a big order before the wording is settled. Order a small run first, use it on real sales, and change what reads badly. A short run costs more per sticker, but a wrong run of 500 costs more than that.
The second mistake is leaving the quantity off the front because it is already on the back. Section 63.2(a) names the principal display panel, so put it there and treat the back as extra room.
The third mistake is buying a roll of labels that will not stay on your bag. Test one sticker on the bag you actually use, leave it overnight, and check it again before you commit to a full roll.
Keep the label and the order in one place
Every new flavor means a new label, and every label means a new line in your costs. Keep the wording for each product in one file you can hand to a printer, and keep the cost of that label next to the price of the bag.
When a flavor changes, the label changes with it. Keep a dated copy of each version so you can tell a repeat customer exactly what is different. The other craft guides cover the packing and pricing side once the label is settled.
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Common questions
Do I need a label if I only sell at a farmers market in Texas?
The rule on the principal display panel does not turn on where you sell. If you sell dog treats to the public, plan on a label with the product name and the quantity statement. Ask the state agency that handles animal feed what else applies to your sales.
What counts as the principal display panel?
It is the panel a buyer sees first, usually the front of the bag. Texas Administrative Code section 63.2(a) puts the product name and the quantity statement there, so do not save either one for the back of the label.
Can I print my own labels at home?
Yes, if your printer handles sticker sheets and the ink does not smear when the bag gets damp. Print one sheet, stick a label on a filled bag, and leave it overnight before you print a hundred more.
How much should a label cost per bag?
That depends on your printer and your run size, so work it out from your own invoice. Divide the cost of a roll or a sheet by the number of labels on it, then add that number to your packaging cost for every bag you sell.
Do I need a best by date on dog treats?
The Texas rule quoted here names the product name and the quantity statement. A best by date is your own choice, and it helps a buyer know how long to keep the bag. Pick a date you can stand behind and keep it the same across the batch.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Labeling rules change, and this page quotes one section of the Texas code. Confirm your label with the state agency that regulates animal feed in Texas before you print.