Rhode Island Cottage Food Law: Labels, Limits & When You Need Nutrition Facts

Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources

Rhode Island’s cottage food law is young: § 21-27-6.2, enacted in 2022 and amended in 2024, lets you register as a cottage food manufacturer if you’re a Rhode Island resident, rather than restricting home food sales to farmers as the older § 21-27-6.1 still does. Registration runs $65 a year through RIDOH, requires a food safety course and a notarized kitchen affidavit rather than a routine inspection, and caps gross sales at $50,000 a year. Your label needs a specific, statute-quoted disclaimer in at least 10-point type. A real Nutrition Facts panel only becomes necessary once your product carries a nutrient content or health claim, or your business outgrows this exemption entirely.

Quick facts	Rhode Island
Revenue cap	$50,000/yr gross
Permit or registration	Registration + food safety training, $65/yr
Sales channels	Direct to consumer, in-person delivery only
Online sales	In-state only
Required label statement	“Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection”
Nutrition Facts panel	Not required unless you make a nutrient claim
Administered by	Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), Center for Food Protection
Governing law	R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 (Cottage Food Manufacturer)

What Rhode Island lets you sell from home

Cottage food manufacture in Rhode Island is limited to baked goods that don’t require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(3)). The statute names double crust pies, yeast breads, biscuits, brownies, cookies, and muffins, plus cakes that don’t require refrigeration, and leaves room for “other goods as defined by the department,” so RIDOH can add categories without a new law. A frosting or filling used for quality rather than food safety, such as buttercream, is treated the same way: fine if the finished product doesn’t need refrigeration to stay safe.

Anything potentially hazardous is out: custards, cream fillings, cheesecakes, canned low-acid or acidified foods, meats, and anything else needing time/temperature control. Rhode Island doesn’t publish a long product-by-product list the way some states do; the statute’s test is refrigeration and TCS status, not a fixed menu.

Permits, registration, and the revenue cap

Registering means submitting an application to RIDOH’s Center for Food Protection with proof of completed food safety training (a Food Safety Manager Course, an ANSI-accredited food handler course, or another course RIDOH approves), plus a notarized affidavit describing your kitchen. Your kitchen has to meet the state’s minimum housing standards and specific equipment rules: a two-compartment sink or a 150°F dishwasher plus a one-compartment sink, nonabsorbent prep surfaces, air-dried utensils, and a self-closing bathroom door that doesn’t open directly into the kitchen. If your home is on a private well, it needs annual water testing. You can instead lease a RIDOH-licensed commercial kitchen, logging use dates and following food-safety transport standards (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(1), (4)).

The fee is $65, paid to RIDOH, and the certificate is valid for one year before it needs renewing (health.ri.gov application packet). Gross annual sales can’t exceed $50,000; going over means getting a food processor license or shutting your operation down, and RIDOH can request records to verify the figure (§ 21-27-6.2(6)). Cottage food sales are also subject to Rhode Island sales tax under § 44-18-7.

The law itself is recent. Rhode Island was the last state to open home food sales beyond farmers: § 21-27-6.2, created by P.L. 2022, ch. 231, art. 9, § 2 (effective June 27, 2022, from House bill H 7123), let RIDOH begin issuing certificates on November 1, 2022. It was amended by P.L. 2024, ch. 403, art. 2, § 6, effective June 26, 2024. The older § 21-27-6.1, the Farm Home Food Manufacture law, still exists separately and applies to farms.

Where you can sell

Sales have to go direct to the consumer, by pickup at your home or by delivery, and stay inside Rhode Island. The statute bars consignment and wholesale sales outright, and names specific venues where your cottage food product can’t be sold even direct-to-consumer: grocery stores, restaurants, long-term-care facilities, group homes, daycare facilities, and schools (§ 21-27-6.2(5)).

Advertising and taking orders by internet, mail, or phone is allowed, but you or a designee have to deliver the food in person to the customer within the state. The statute doesn’t permit mailing or common-carrier shipping. Selling at a farmers market or other temporary event needs an additional retail food peddler license from RIDOH, on top of the cottage food registration (health.ri.gov). There’s no path to selling across state lines under this registration.

What has to be on the label

R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(2)(vi) spells out what an affixed label needs:

Name, address, and telephone number
The ingredients of the product, in descending order of predominance by weight or volume
Allergen information as required by federal and state labeling rules (milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans are the statute’s named examples)
The required disclaimer, verbatim, unless the product was made in a licensed commercial kitchen

“Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection” (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(2)(vi)(D))

The statute is specific about how that sentence has to look: printed in at least 10-point type, in a clear and conspicuous manner, with contrast against the label background. RIDOH doesn’t require the disclaimer at all if your product came out of a commercial kitchen the department has licensed, since that kitchen is already subject to routine inspection.

When you need a Nutrition Facts panel

RIDOH’s cottage food registration is a state food-safety exemption, not a nutrition-labeling one. It doesn’t change the federal rule: if you sell small batches direct to consumer, your product generally sits outside FDA’s mandatory Nutrition Facts requirement until a nutrient content or health claim shows up on the package or in your marketing: “high fiber,” “low sugar,” “good source of protein,” or anything with a specific meaning under 21 CFR 101.9. Once that claim appears, the exemption is gone for that product, on the wrapper or in an Instagram caption for the same batch.

A label with the disclaimer and the panel both in place lets you post that “high fiber” caption without second-guessing it. Enter your recipe, then see your label: your calories, the claims you qualify for and your allergen line are free, no card required, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. A one-time $29 unlock adds every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, and your ingredient statement and allergen declaration to print alongside Rhode Island’s required disclaimer. Start your label, or compare other states in our cottage food laws guide.

Rhode Island cottage food FAQ

How much does Rhode Island's cottage food registration cost?

$65 a year, paid to RIDOH's Center for Food Protection; the certificate is valid for one year and has to be renewed annually (health.ri.gov application packet).

Does Rhode Island require a kitchen inspection for cottage food?

Not as a condition of registering. You submit a notarized affidavit attesting your home kitchen meets the statute's standards, but RIDOH's director can inspect your kitchen at any time, including in response to a complaint or foodborne-illness report (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(4), (8)).

What's the sales cap for a Rhode Island cottage food business?

$50,000 in gross sales per calendar year. Going over it means either getting a food processor license or stopping cottage food sales (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(6)).

Can I sell my Rhode Island cottage food products online or ship them?

You can advertise and take orders online, by mail, or by phone, but the statute requires you or a designee to deliver the food in person to the customer within Rhode Island, with no mailing or common-carrier shipping (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2(5)).

Can I sell cottage food at a Rhode Island farmers market?

Yes, but RIDOH requires a separate retail food peddler license for farmers markets and other temporary events, on top of the cottage food registration (health.ri.gov).

Did Rhode Island always allow cottage food sales?

No. Until late 2022, only farmers could sell home-produced food, under the separate Farm Home Food Manufacture law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1). Section 21-27-6.2 opened cottage food registration to any Rhode Island resident, with the first certificates issued November 1, 2022 (P.L. 2022, ch. 231, art. 9, § 2).

Nearby states

Selling into a neighboring state means that state’s rules apply there: Massachusetts, Connecticut. See the full state-by-state table.

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