Maryland Cottage Food

Generate Compliant Maryland Cottage Food Labels in Minutes

Maryland cottage food producers must include the required disclosure on every label. We handle the language automatically.

Here's What Your Label Will Look Like

Add the products you use, and Quickly Cottage builds the ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds Maryland's required disclosure automatically.

Product

Chocolate Cake Pops

Ingredients

Devil's Food Cake Mix Betty Crocker
Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers Ghirardelli
Rainbow Jimmies Sprinkles Wilton
Red Food Color McCormick

Chocolate Cake Pops

Net Wt: 8 oz (227g)

Sunflower Home Bakery

412 Maple Ave, Springfield, MD

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:

Wheat Milk Soy

Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations.

What Every Maryland Label Needs

Every cottage food product sold in Maryland needs a label with the following.

  • All 9 FDA major allergens present
  • Complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight
  • Business name
  • Business address
  • Product name
  • Net weight
  • "Not inspected" disclosure statement

Required Label Disclosure

Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations.

Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically, exactly as required.

Generate your Maryland label in minutes

Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.

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What You Can Sell in Maryland

The following product types are permitted under Maryland's cottage food law, and every label needs an ingredient list, allergens, and (where required) the state disclosure above.

Baked Goods

Permitted
  • Cakes and cupcakes
  • Cookies and brownies
  • Muffins and quick breads
  • Yeast breads and rolls
  • Fruit pies (cream and custard pies require refrigeration and are not permitted)
  • Cake pops and dipped treats
  • Donuts and pastries

Candies and Confections

Permitted
  • Chocolates and fudge
  • Hard candies and lollipops
  • Toffee and caramel (shelf-stable)
  • Cake truffles

Preserved and Dry Goods

Permitted
  • Jams, jellies, and preserves
  • Honey and honeycomb
  • Dried herbs and spices
  • Roasted nuts and trail mix
  • Granola and cereal
  • Popcorn and flavored popcorn
  • Dried pasta (no egg)

Beverages

Permitted
  • Coffee (roasted or ground, not brewed)
  • Dry tea blends

What You Can't Sell

These product types aren't covered by Maryland's cottage food law and require a commercial kitchen license.

  • Meat, poultry, and seafood products
  • Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter)
  • Items requiring refrigeration (cream pies, cheesecakes)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Fruit and vegetable juices
  • Canned low-acid vegetables

Where You Can Sell

Maryland permits cottage food sales at the following venues.

Direct from your home

Farmers markets

Retail

Online sales

Mail

Annual Sales Cap

$50,000

Gross annual revenue from all cottage food sales.

Permit & Registration

No permit or registration required

No permit or license is required for cottage food operations in Maryland.

Notes

Cap raised from $25,000 in 2022.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Maryland cottage food label need to include?

Every Maryland cottage food label needs the product name, a complete ingredient list in descending order by weight, all 9 FDA major allergens, net weight, your business name, and your business address. Maryland also requires this disclosure: "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations." Quickly Cottage adds all of this automatically.

What is the required disclosure statement for Maryland cottage food?

The required language is: "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations." This must appear on every cottage food label sold under Maryland Cottage Food Law.

What is the annual sales cap for cottage food in Maryland?

Maryland's cottage food annual sales cap is: $50,000 gross revenue.

Where can I sell cottage food products made in Maryland?

In Maryland, cottage food producers can sell through: Direct from your home, Farmers markets, Retail, Online sales, and Mail.

Do I need to list sub-ingredients from a packaged mix on my Maryland cottage food label?

Yes. If you use a packaged ingredient like a Betty Crocker cake mix or Ghirardelli chocolate, you must list its sub-ingredients on your label, in the correct order. This is an FDA labeling rule that applies in Maryland and every other state. Quickly Cottage expands these automatically from our branded ingredient database.

Can I use Canva or Word to make my Maryland cottage food label?

You can design the visual layout in Canva or Word, but neither can auto-generate your ingredient list, detect allergens, or add Maryland's required disclosure statement. You'd need to compile all of that manually. Quickly Cottage handles it automatically for Maryland and all 50 states.

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