Florida Cottage Food Allowed Foods List: What You Can and Can't Sell

The Rule That Decides Everything

Florida's cottage food law draws one bright line: your product must be non-potentially hazardous. In food-safety terms, that means it doesn't require time or temperature control for safety (non-TCS). Products with low water activity (aw ≤ 0.85) or high acidity (pH ≤ 4.6) naturally resist pathogen growth and qualify for the exemption.

If your product needs refrigeration to stay safe, it doesn't qualify — regardless of how long it's been sitting on your counter at home.

Baked Goods

Allowed: Breads, rolls, biscuits, muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, and double-crust fruit pies. Sourdough breads are fully authorized. Flat icings and traditional buttercream frostings are fine as long as they're shelf-stable and contain no raw eggs or unbaked dairy.

Not allowed: Cheesecakes, cream pies, custard fillings, flans, cream cheese frostings, and whipped cream toppings. Any cake or pastry requiring refrigeration crosses the line.

The frosting question trips up a lot of bakers. Standard buttercream made with butter, sugar, and vanilla is shelf-stable and allowed. Cream cheese frosting is not. If your recipe uses fresh dairy that hasn't been fully baked into the product, it's prohibited.

Jams, Jellies, and Preserves

Allowed: Jams, jellies, and fruit preserves made from high-acid fruits. Fruit butters like apple butter and peach butter qualify.

Not allowed: Low-acid canned preserves, pumpkin butter, sweet potato butter, vegetable-based spreads, garlic-in-oil mixtures, and pesto.

This is where Florida's law is stricter than many other states. Artificially acidified foods — products made shelf-stable by adding vinegar or citric acid — are categorically excluded. You cannot make pickled vegetables, acidified hot sauces, chutneys, relishes, or fermented foods under the cottage food exemption, even if you test the pH. States like Texas allow home-production of acidified foods with proper testing protocols, but Florida does not.

Candies and Snacks

Allowed: Hard candies, fudge, caramels, chocolate-covered nuts and pretzels, popcorn, popcorn balls, cotton candy, granola, trail mixes, and cereals.

Not allowed: Chocolate-covered fresh strawberries or other fresh fruit items. Anything containing raw eggs or non-shelf-stable dairy.

Beverages

Allowed: Whole or ground roasted coffee beans, loose-leaf teas, and dried herbal tea blends.

Not allowed: Brewed coffee, cold brew, liquid tea, fresh juices, smoothies, kombucha, water kefir, and fermented sodas. The allowed beverage examples are dry products; brewed and other liquid beverages require a commercial route.

Pasta, Dry Mixes, and Other Items

Allowed: Fully dried pasta (including dry egg noodles) and dry baking mixes.

Not allowed: Fresh, undried pasta or noodle products that need refrigeration.

Non-meat pet treats made from human-grade shelf-stable ingredients (flour, peanut butter, oats) are also allowed. Any pet food containing meat, poultry, seafood, or animal by-products requires commercial licensing.

Common Questions by Product

Can I sell jerky from home? No. Meat products of any kind are prohibited under cottage food.

Can I sell hot sauce? No. Hot sauces require acidification and are explicitly excluded.

Can I sell pickles? No. Pickles are acidified foods and aren't covered by Florida's exemption.

Can I sell canned goods? No. Home-canned products are prohibited. You must use commercially processed, sterile canned ingredients in your recipes.

Can I sell honey? Yes, if it's raw, unprocessed honey. Honey is naturally shelf-stable with very low water activity.

Can I sell sourdough? Yes. Sourdough bread is fully authorized under the cottage food law.

Can I use cream cheese frosting? No. Cream cheese is a TCS ingredient. Use traditional buttercream instead.

When a Recipe Falls in a Gray Area

If you're genuinely unsure whether a specific ingredient or recipe qualifies, contact FDACS Division of Food Safety at [email protected] and ask whether the product meets the non-TCS criteria.

For a fillable recipe eligibility worksheet and the complete compliance framework, see the Florida Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide.

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