Indiana Cottage Food Label Requirements: Exactly What Goes on Your Packaging

Getting your Indiana cottage food labels wrong isn't just a packaging mistake — it puts you outside the legal exemption. A product sold without the correct disclaimer, allergen declarations, or required fields is technically being sold in violation of state food law, exposing you to cease-and-desist orders and fines.

Here's exactly what goes on every label under both the former HBV rules and the 2026 Homestead framework.

Required Label Elements (Both Frameworks)

Every product sold by an Indiana home food vendor must display:

1. Statutory disclaimer (see below for the exact text — it changed on July 1, 2026)
2. Complete ingredient list — in descending order by weight
3. Allergen declarations — the eight major allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soybeans) must be identified if present
4. Net weight — in both metric and U.S. customary units
5. Processing date — the date the product was made
6. Producer's physical address — your street address, not a P.O. Box

All statutory disclaimer text must appear in at least 10-point type.

The HBV Disclaimer (Through June 30, 2026)

Under IC 16-42-5.3, every product must carry this exact language:

"This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by the state department of health. NOT FOR RESALE."

This text serves two legal functions: it notifies the consumer that no health department has inspected your kitchen, and it declares that the product is not intended for wholesale distribution.

The 2026 Homestead Disclaimer (Effective July 1, 2026)

Under HEA 1424 (IC 16-42-5.4), the disclaimer changes to:

"This product was produced by a homestead vendor or the owner of a small farm that is exempt from government licensing and inspection."

Use the new language for products produced under the Homestead framework on or after July 1, 2026. During the transition, the safest approach was to keep old labels on old stock and new labels on new production.

Online Sales: Additional Display Rules

If you take orders online (through a website, social media, or marketplace platform), the labeling information must also appear on the product listing itself — not just the physical package. This includes the full disclaimer text, ingredient list, and allergen declarations.

Customers ordering online can't read the physical label before purchase, so the law requires the same disclosures to be available digitally.

Common Labeling Mistakes

Missing allergens. Listing "flour" without declaring wheat, or using "butter" without declaring milk, technically fails the allergen requirement. Every ingredient that contains or derives from a major allergen needs an explicit declaration — either parenthetical in the ingredient list or in a separate "Contains:" statement.

P.O. Box instead of physical address. The law requires your physical street address. A P.O. Box doesn't satisfy the requirement — it must be the address of the residence where the food is produced.

Font too small. The disclaimer must be in at least 10-point type. On small labels for jars or bags, this can be hard to fit. Redesign the label rather than shrinking the text below the legal minimum.

Using the wrong era's disclaimer. Since the Homestead law took effect on July 1, 2026, the old HBV disclaimer is no longer the correct statutory language for products under the Homestead framework. Selling product with the old text after the transition date technically uses the wrong disclosure.

Expiration Dates

Indiana does not mandate expiration dates on cottage food products, but the processing date is required. Many sellers add a "best by" date voluntarily — it builds consumer trust and reduces liability if a buyer stores the product improperly for months.

Label templates for both regulatory eras, with formatting guidance and print-ready layouts, are included in the Indiana Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide.

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