Cottage Food Laws by State
Hawaii Cottage Food Laws
Hawaii treats home-produced food through the Department of Health's food safety code rather than a stand-alone cottage food statute. Homemade food operations are exempt from the usual food establishment permit, but you must complete an approved food safety course and follow labeling rules. Rule changes effective August 24, 2025 widened where and how you can sell.
Permit
None
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Wholesale
Allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Hawaii
You can sell at fundraisers, craft fairs, and farmers markets, and you can sell online. State rules also let you deliver by mail or shipping, and use third-party vendors such as stores. Wholesale to permitted food establishments is allowed, and a restaurant using your product needs written disclosure that it is homemade. Some markets may still ask for a Special Event permit.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| Farmers markets |
Conditions apply
Some market organizers require a Special Event permit; DOH says it can review and sign off on that application. |
| Events & festivals | Allowed |
| Online orders | Allowed |
| Retail stores | Allowed |
| Wholesale |
Conditions apply
Resale is to permitted food establishments. |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
A restaurant using your product must have written disclosure that it is homemade food, and your label must be available to patrons on request. |
What You Can Sell in Hawaii
The test is whether the food is safe without time or temperature control, such as jams, jellies, and baked goods without custard or cream fillings. Plant-based pickled, fermented, or acidified foods qualify at a pH of 4.2 or lower or water activity below 0.88. Dried meats, dried seafood, and melon-family fruits are excluded, and DOH says canning is limited to jams and jellies.
Foods that do not need time/temperature control for safety, plus pickled, fermented, or acidified plant foods that meet the pH or water activity limit; dried meats and seafood are excluded.
Allowed with conditions
- Pickled, fermented, or acidified plant foods — pH of 4.2 or lower, or water activity below 0.88; melon-family fruits excluded.
- Salsa or other products with cut tomatoes — Must be kept refrigerated at or below 41 F.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
- Products must be made or packaged in a home kitchen
- Food that needs time/temperature control for safety is not allowed
- Dried meats and seafood, and melon-family fruits in pickled or fermented products, are excluded
- Operators remain subject to DOH inspection after a complaint or illness investigation
- Some event organizers require a Special Event permit
- Honey from home-based agricultural producers follows HRS 328-79 instead
How to Start Selling in Hawaii
-
1
Check that your product qualifies
Confirm it is non-TCS, or a plant-based pickled, fermented, or acidified food meeting the pH or water activity limit. Ask your local Food Safety Branch office if unsure.
-
2
Take a food safety course
Take the DOH class or an ANSI-accredited online course listed on the Food Safety Branch education page.
-
3
Set up your home kitchen
Keep a handwashing sink with cleaning compound available during food preparation and use it.
-
4
Label every package
Package as it will be sold and include the required homemade statement, name, ingredients, allergens, and your contact information.
-
5
Ask about event permits
If a market or event asks for a Special Event permit, apply through the DOH Special Event permit page.
What a Compliant Hawaii Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Net Wt: 8 oz (227g)
Sunflower Home Bakery
412 Maple Ave, Springfield, HI
Ingredients:
Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil; Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla; Sugar, Corn Starch, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Confectioner's Glaze, Carnauba Wax, FD&C Colors; Water, Propylene Glycol, FD&C Red 40.
Contains:
Made in a Home or Farm Kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Hawaii must have a label that includes the following.
| Required field |
|---|
| All 9 FDA major allergens present |
| Complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight |
| Business address |
| Product name |
| Net weight |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Hawaii Labeling Notes
- Products must be packaged the way they will be sold.
- Restaurants using your product need written disclosure that it is homemade.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Hawaii.
Made in a Home or Farm Kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Hawaii label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Hawaii Cottage Food — Common Questions
Homemade food operations are exempt from the Hawaii Department of Health food establishment permit under HAR 11-50-3(c); no registration step was found.
The limit is in gross sales.
Complete a food safety course from the Department of Health or a DOH-approved program; ANSI-accredited courses qualify. Fee not confirmed.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed.
Not allowed: Dried meats (such as beef jerky); Dried seafood; Dried melons and dried tomatoes (per DOH examples); Canning other than jams and jellies (per DOH sheet); Vacuum packaging (per DOH sheet); Foods requiring time/temperature control for safety.
Resources and Law History
2024
Act 195 (HB 2144), approved July 3, 2024, directed DOH to amend its homemade food definition and allow additional ways to sell and deliver.
2025
Amended HAR Chapter 11-50 took effect August 24, 2025, adding pickled, fermented, and acidified plant foods and allowing third-party, online, wholesale, mail, and shipping distribution.
Law reference: Hawaii Cottage Food Law (Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 11 Chapter 50 (Food Safety Code), sections 11-50-2, 11-50-3, 11-50-35) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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