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Selling homemade food in New York means your label has to follow the New York Home Processor exemption (Home Processor Registration). 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 wording is not a fixed phrase: the rule requires “a phrase such as” one of these — “Made at Home by [name]”, “Made in the Home Kitchen of [name]”, or “Made in a Home Kitchen.” The minimum size is given in inches: “1/16th inch or larger” (≈ 1.6 mm, ~4.5 pt). No registration number is required on the label.
New York runs a "Home Processing" exemption from the Article 20-C food-processing license (1 NYCRR Part 276; Article 17 Ag & Markets Law). You submit a Home Processor Registration Request to qualify, but it is an exemption, not a paid permit, and there is currently no fee and no annual sales cap. The defining NY restriction is geographic: internet/mail sales are allowed within New York State only — shipping product out of state is not permitted. Allowed foods are narrow shelf-stable items (baked goods, high-acid jams/jellies, certain candies, granola, repackaged commercial dry goods); notably NY prohibits pickles, sauces, cheese, meat, beverages, cream-filled pastry, melted-chocolate coatings, and raw nuts. No food-handler or manager card is required.
NY's exemption permits online orders only within New York State. Filling an out-of-state order — even one — falls outside the exemption. Sellers who list on national marketplaces routinely break this rule without realizing it.
The label must carry "Made at Home by [name]" (or similar) in a font 1/16 inch or larger, plus product name, ingredients in descending weight order, net quantity, your full address, and allergen declaration. Under-size or omitted home-kitchen wording is a common rejection.
NY bans anything needing refrigeration, plus pickles, sauces, vegetable breads, cheese, meat, beverages, cream-filled pastries, chocolate-coated items using melted chocolate, and raw (non-commercial) nuts. Zucchini bread, hot sauce, and refrigerated frostings are frequent mistakes.
The exemption becomes null and void if you also operate a licensed food business, and private-well users must submit a water test with the registration. Sellers who scale into a commercial license lose home-processing coverage for their kitchen output.
Timeline: Often just a few weeks — much faster than permit states because there is no mandatory pre-sale inspection. Steps: (1) confirm your product is on NY's allowed list; (2) if on a private well, obtain a water test; (3) design a compliant label with the 1/16-inch "Made at Home by" wording and allergen statement; (4) submit the Home Processor Registration Request form by email or mail to NY Ag & Markets; (5) once accepted you may sell within New York State.
Cost: $0 — no permit required. NY's official page states there is currently no fee for Home Processor registration. Only real out-of-pocket costs are label printing and, for private-well homes, a water test.
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Make my New York label →New York requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “Made in a Home Kitchen.” The state sets no minimum point size for it.
No. New York 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 (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: 1 NYCRR Part 276 (1 CRR-NY 276.4), Article 17 N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law; NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets — Home Processor (FSI-898d). Verified 2026-06-15. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.