Cottage food quick guide · Last reviewed October 2026
Selling homemade food in Minnesota
- Sales cap
- $78,000
- Permit or registration
- Annual MDA registration; training
- Online & shipping
- Online orders; you or an employee present at delivery; shipping allowed from Aug 2027
- Sell through stores
- Direct to consumers only
- Refrigerated foods
- No; canned acidified foods at pH 4.6 or below allowed
Allowed from a home kitchen
Sourdough bread · Cookies & brownies · Fruit pie · Strawberry jam · Pepper jelly · Shelf-stable salsa · Hot sauce · Canned pickles · Canned tomato sauce · Granola · Spice rubs & seasoning blends · Roasted coffee · Loose-leaf tea blends · Dried fruit & fruit leather · Freeze-dried candy · Chocolates & truffles · Toffee, fudge & caramels · Marshmallows · Pure honey · Fruit-infused vinegar · Mustard (no egg)
Needs a commercial kitchen or other license
Pumpkin pie · Cheesecake · Cake with cream cheese frosting · Meat tamales · Fresh salsa (refrigerated) · Garlic or herb-infused oil‡ · Home-cooked meals‡ · Beef jerky‡ · Cheese & yogurt‡ · Cold-pressed juice‡ · Kombucha‡
Ask the agency first
Cake with buttercream · Macarons · Fruit tamales · Low-sugar or freezer jam · Sauerkraut & kimchi · Nut butter · Infused honey · Vanilla extract
Every product has conditions, such as registration, training, labeling, and sales limits. See the full guide for each one. ‡ General rule; not specifically addressed in this state's guidance.
How to start
- Check that the product doesn't need refrigeration. Home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits must reach pH 4.6 or below, or water activity 0.85 or below.
- Register with MDA every year. Tier 1 (up to $7,665 in sales): free, with MDA's online training and exam. Tier 2 (up to $78,000): $50 and an approved food safety course every three years.
- Sell directly to consumers from home, at farmers markets and events, or online. You or an employee must be present for each sale or delivery; human food can't be shipped (until August 2027).
- Label every product and post the same statement on a sign or your website.
Key label items
Use the exact required wording shown in the full guide and on the agency's site.
- “These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.”
- Your name or business name
- Your address, or your MDA registration number
- Date the product was made
- Ingredients, including potential allergens