Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources
Minnesota’s cottage food exemption lets an individual, sole proprietorship, or qualifying single-member LLC make non-potentially-hazardous foods and certain home-canned pickled or acidified goods at home and sell them directly to customers, after registering with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and staying under $78,000 in gross annual sales (Minn. Stat. 28A.152). Registration is free below $7,665 in sales and $50 above that, and every package needs the state’s exact disclaimer: “These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.” None of this touches federal nutrition labeling: a Nutrition Facts panel isn’t required for a cottage food product unless your label makes a nutrient content or health claim, or your product moves into wholesale or retail.
| Quick facts | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Revenue cap | $78,000/yr gross |
| Permit or registration | Registration required; free under $7,665, $50 above |
| Sales channels | Direct, plus online ordering with in-person hand-off |
| Online sales | In-state only |
| Required label statement | “These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.” |
| Nutrition Facts panel | Not required unless you make a nutrient claim |
| Administered by | Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) |
| Governing law | Minn. Stat. § 28A.152 (Cottage Food Exemption) |
What Minnesota lets you sell from home
The exemption covers two categories (Minn. Stat. 28A.152, subd. 1). The first is non-potentially hazardous food (items that don’t support rapid bacterial growth and don’t need refrigeration), which MDA’s fact sheet lists as covering baked goods, candy, and dried seasoning blends, among others (mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2026-03/CottageFoodsFactSheet11.25.pdf). The second is home-processed and home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits with an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or less, the standard that keeps an acidified or low-moisture product shelf-stable without refrigeration. Home-processed pet treats for dogs and cats are also covered, under their own labeling rule.
Anything needing refrigeration or time/temperature control to stay safe (fresh meat, dairy, low-acid canned vegetables, fermented foods below the pH threshold) falls outside the exemption and into licensed commercial food processing.
Permits, registration, and the revenue cap
As a Minnesota cottage food producer, you register annually with the MDA before selling. The fee depends on sales volume: no fee for gross annual sales of $7,665 or less, and $50 for sales above that threshold up to the $78,000 cap (mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-producer-registration). Both tiers also require training: a free annual online course and exam for the no-fee tier, and an MDA-approved course (currently the University of Minnesota Extension’s food safety training) every three years for the $50 tier (extension.umn.edu/home-kitchens/cottage-food). The cap is measured as total gross receipts across all cottage food sales in a calendar year, not tracked recipe by recipe.
Chapter 34 of the Laws of Minnesota 2025 (amending 28A.152, subds. 1–5) restructures several of these rules, but most of it doesn’t take effect until August 1, 2027: a flat $30 registration fee replacing the two-tier fee, permission to deliver by mail or commercial carrier, LLC eligibility, and a biennial inflation adjustment to the $78,000 cap indexed to a July 2025 base month. Until then, the fee tiers, cap, and delivery rules below stay in force.
Where you can sell
Direct sales are the model the statute allows: at a farmers market or community event, from your own home to the extent local ordinance allows it, and through donations to fundraisers for an individual, charity, school, or religious organization (Minn. Stat. 28A.152, subd. 2). You can advertise and take orders online, but MDA’s guidance is specific that human cottage food still has to reach the customer in person: delivered to their home or handed over at an agreed location, not mailed or shipped by carrier (mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-law-guidance). Home-canned pickled and acidified products can’t be sold outside Minnesota. Pet treats are the exception and can currently be shipped.
Not allowed under the exemption: wholesale distribution, consignment, and placing product in a retail store for someone else to sell. Those channels exit the exemption into standard commercial food licensing.
What has to be on the label
Every Minnesota cottage food package needs, per the statute (Minn. Stat. 28A.152, subd. 1):
- Product name or a clear description
- Ingredients, including any sub-ingredients
- Allergen disclosure for the food’s major allergens
- Your name or the name of your cottage food business
- Your address or your MDA cottage food registration number
- The date the food was prepared (or, for canned goods, the date it was processed and canned)
- The required disclaimer, below
These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
(Minn. Stat. 28A.152, subd. 1)
The same statement has to appear as a clearly visible sign at the point of sale (a table sign at a farmers market stand, for example) or, for online listings, as text on the web page where the product is offered (mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-law-guidance). The statute doesn’t set a minimum type size for the disclaimer.
Net weight isn’t on MDA’s list of required elements, but buyers and market managers expect it, so there’s no reason to leave it off.
When you need a Nutrition Facts panel
Cottage food sold under Minnesota’s exemption doesn’t need a Nutrition Facts panel: the homemade disclaimer stands in its place. That exemption has one hard edge: the moment a label, package, or even a caption on a sales post makes a nutrient content claim (“low sugar,” “high protein,” “good source of fiber”) or a health claim, your product is making a claim FDA regulates under 21 CFR 101.9, and the cottage food carve-out doesn’t cover that. The same is true the day you move your product into wholesale or a retail store, since that step exits the cottage food exemption entirely and puts your product under standard federal labeling.
That’s usually the point where NutriLabels gets the call, and with a panel already built, a store buyer’s yes doesn’t wait on you to work out the numbers. Enter your recipe, then see your label: free with no card required, you see your calories, the claims you qualify for, your allergen line and the nutrient to watch, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, plus the ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print. Start your label whenever a claim, a co-packer, or a retailer’s shelf makes the panel necessary, or compare Minnesota with other states’ cottage food laws.
Sources
Minnesota cottage food FAQ
What is the Minnesota cottage food sales limit?
Gross receipts from cottage food sales are capped at $78,000 in a calendar year (Minn. Stat. 28A.152, subd. 3). A 2025 law directs the commissioner to adjust that cap for inflation every two years starting from a July 2025 base, once the change takes effect.
Do I need a permit to sell homemade food in Minnesota?
You need to register annually with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Registration is free if your gross annual sales are $7,665 or less, and costs $50 if you sell between $7,666 and $78,000 (mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-producer-registration).
Do I need training to sell cottage food in Minnesota?
Yes. Under the $7,665 threshold, you complete a free online training and exam before registering each year; above it, you take an MDA-approved food safety course, currently offered through University of Minnesota Extension, once every three years (extension.umn.edu/home-kitchens/cottage-food).
Can I sell Minnesota cottage food online or ship it?
You can advertise and take orders online, but as of 2026 human cottage food still has to be handed to the customer in person, at your home, a farmers market, a community event, or an agreed meeting spot in Minnesota. Home-canned pickled and acidified goods can't be sold outside Minnesota, and mail or commercial shipping of human cottage food isn't allowed until a 2025 law change takes effect August 1, 2027 (mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-law-guidance).
What does the Minnesota cottage food label have to say?
"These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection," plus your name or business name, your address or registration number, the date the food was made, and the ingredient list with allergens (revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/28A.152).
When does a Minnesota cottage food maker need a real Nutrition Facts label?
The exemption doesn't require one, but making a nutrient content claim (like "low sugar") or moving your product into wholesale or retail brings it under standard FDA labeling, 21 CFR 101.9.
Nearby states
Selling into a neighboring state means that state’s rules apply there: Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota. See the full state-by-state table.
Sources
- revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/28A.152
- mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-producer-registration
- mda.state.mn.us/food-feed/cottage-food-law-guidance
- mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/20…ttageFoodsFactSheet11.25.pdf
- extension.umn.edu/home-kitchens/cottage-food
- revisor.mn.gov/laws/2025/0/Session+Law/chapter/34