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Selling homemade food in Illinois means your label has to follow the Illinois Home-to-Market Act — Cottage Food Operation (Public Act 102-0633, effective Jan 1, 2022), 410 ILCS 625/4. Here is exactly what that label must show in 2026 — the required fields, the allergen rule, and the verbatim disclaimer and its font size — sourced to the statute and dated.
Print this statement on the label, word for word:
The statute requires prominent lettering but sets NO point size — no value is claimed. Registration is with the LOCAL health department (not a state permit), and that local registration number is required on the label. Reconfirm the IDPH Cottage Food Labeling Checklist.
Illinois runs a registration-and-certification model, not a pure exemption. Since the Home-to-Market Act (PA 102-0633, eff. 2022-01-01, codified at 410 ILCS 625/4) took effect, there is NO annual sales cap — the old $36,000 limit was repealed. In exchange, the operator must both register (one-time) with the local health department where they reside AND hold a Food Service Sanitation Management Certificate (an ANSI-accredited food protection manager certification, e.g. ServSafe Manager). Low-risk 'not-potentially-hazardous' foods (baked goods, jams, candies, dry mixes, etc.) can be sold broadly; certain time/temperature-controlled (TCS) foods are allowed only under added conditions such as in-person sale with refrigeration. Sales are direct-to-consumer only — including farmers markets, home pickup, and delivery/shipping — but strictly WITHIN Illinois. No resale, and no selling to or through retail food establishments or restaurants.
Illinois cottage food may only be sold to end consumers inside Illinois. Mailing or shipping an order to an out-of-state customer falls outside the Act and is unlawful — restrict online orders to Illinois delivery addresses.
Unlike an exemption state, Illinois requires the operator to hold a Food Service Sanitation Management Certificate. Registering with the health department without completing the ANSI-accredited food protection manager course leaves the operation non-compliant.
The label must carry the statement that the product was produced in a home kitchen not subject to public health inspection that may also process common food allergens. Selling with only an ingredient list and no home-kitchen/allergen disclosure is a common violation.
Products cannot be sold for resale or placed in retail food establishments/restaurants — only direct to the consumer. Wholesaling to a local shop or coffeehouse voids the cottage food status.
Timeline: About 1-3 weeks. Steps: (1) complete an ANSI-accredited Food Service Sanitation Management / food protection manager certification course and pass the exam; (2) register your cottage food operation with the local health department in the county where you reside (processing time varies by county); (3) build compliant labels (operation name, address, product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, allergen declaration, net quantity, date produced, and the home-kitchen disclosure) before your first sale. No kitchen inspection is required for standard non-hazardous products.
Cost: Roughly $15-$155 for the food protection manager certification course/exam, plus a local health department registration fee that varies — confirm the exact amount with your county/local health department (some charge little or nothing, others levy an annual fee). Label printing is the only other cost.
Cottage food laws get revised, and a new disclaimer or font size can quietly make your label non-compliant. Leave your email and we'll write to you only when Illinois's cottage food label rules change. Nothing else, ever — and you can unsubscribe from any message.
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Make my Illinois label →Illinois requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department.” The state sets no minimum point size for it.
Yes. In Illinois the permit / registration number must appear on the label.
At minimum: product name — the common name of the food; your business / producer name; the address of the cottage food operation; a complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight (sub-ingredients included); an allergen declaration — the 9 major FDA allergens, in the ingredient list or a “Contains:” line; net weight, in US customary and metric units; the state's required disclaimer (see below); your permit / registration number; the date the food was made; the municipality where you prepare the food, followed by the state — this is a separate item, not your street address.
No. CottageCompliance gives general information based on each state's published rules, dated to when we last verified them. Always confirm with your state or local agency before selling.
Source: 410 ILCS 625/4 (Home-to-Market Act, PA 102-0633); University of Illinois Extension — Cottage Food Labeling. Reconfirm on dph.illinois.gov. Verified 2026-08-09. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.