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Selling homemade food in Mississippi means your label has to follow the Mississippi Regulation of Cottage Food Operations, administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Food Protection Division; statutory authority Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 75-29-951. Gross annual sales capped at $35,000; internet/social-media advertising allowed since HB 326 (effective July 1, 2020) with sales direct producer-to-end-consumer only. 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:
Verbatim wording is prescribed by MSDH (Q8 of the MSDH Cottage Food FAQ). Reproduce it exactly, including the agency's capitalization of 'Cottage Food' and the possessive 'Mississippi's'. It must be printed in at least ten-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background of the label. Mississippi issues no cottage-food license, permit, or registration, so no permit/registration number is issued or appears on the label.
Mississippi is a pure-exemption state: no license, permit, registration, inspection, or fee to operate, and no permit number on the label -- so the label is the ONLY compliance artifact the seller controls. The single most load-bearing element is the exact disclaimer string, which MSDH prescribes word-for-word (Q8) and even capitalizes as 'Cottage Food operation'. It must appear at 10-point minimum in a contrasting color. Getting the wording, capitalization, or point size wrong is the most common way an otherwise-legal operation falls out of compliance.
Reproduce the state's exact string: 'Made in a Cottage Food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations.' Note MSDH capitalizes 'Cottage Food' and uses the possessive 'Mississippi's'. Paraphrases like 'Made in a home kitchen' (that is California's wording) do NOT satisfy Mississippi.
Q8 requires the disclaimer 'printed in at least ten-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background of the label.' Light-gray-on-white or an undersized font fails even when the words are correct.
The MS statute (Q8) only requires 'the net weight or volume of the cottage food product.' Separately, federal FPLA (and MSU Extension guidance) require the net-quantity declaration in BOTH U.S. customary (oz/lb) and metric (g/kg or mL/L) units for standard packaged goods, so list both to be safe. Allergens must follow federal rules, including naming the specific tree nut.
Gross annual sales capped at $35,000. Internet/social-media ADVERTISING is allowed since HB 326 (eff. July 1, 2020), but the transaction must be direct producer-to-end-consumer. No interstate sales (MS only), no wholesale, no sales to restaurants/convenience/grocery stores, and no consignment. Violating the regulation is an illegal food operation subject to a fine up to $1,000.
Timeline: Immediate -- no state application, permit, registration, inspection, or waiting period. You may sell as soon as a compliant label is in place. Separately, check your city (or county if outside city limits) for a local business license, zoning, and tax requirements.
Cost: $0 -- no state cottage-food permit, license, registration, or fee. A local business license (city/county) may carry its own separate 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 Mississippi's cottage food label rules change. Nothing else, ever — and you can unsubscribe from any message.
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Make my Mississippi label →Mississippi requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “Made in a Cottage Food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations.” It must be set at a minimum of 10-point type.
No. Mississippi does not require a permit or registration number printed 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 at a minimum of 10-point type (see below).
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: MSDH Cottage Food Operations page (https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/30,0,77,620.html); MSDH 'Cottage Food Operation: Frequently Asked Questions', Revised Sept 2023 (https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/5375.pdf); Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 75-29-951; MSU Extension 'Labeling Mississippi Cottage Food Products' (https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/labeling-mississippi-cottage-food-products) Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.