Maine Cottage Food Allowed Foods: What You Can and Cannot Sell

Maine's Home Food Processor License does not come with a fixed approved-foods list the way some states publish. Instead, the rule is functional: you can sell any food that is shelf-stable at room temperature and does not require refrigeration for safety. If it can sit on a counter without growing harmful bacteria, it likely qualifies. If it needs a fridge, it does not.

Foods You Can Sell Under the State License

The DACF Home Food Processor License (CMR Chapter 345) covers non-TCS foods — items that do not require time or temperature control for safety. In practice, that includes:

• Baked goods: breads, rolls, muffins, cookies, brownies, biscotti, scones, fruit pies, cake (without cream, custard, or cheese fillings)
• Candies and confections: hard candies, fudge, toffee, caramels, chocolate-dipped pretzels, brittles
• Granolas, trail mixes, and dry snack mixes
• Jams, jellies, fruit butters, and marmalades (high-sugar, shelf-stable)
• Acidified foods: pickles, salsas, relishes, BBQ sauces, hot sauces, chocolate sauces — these are allowed but require a Scheduled Process letter from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension confirming your recipe reaches pH 4.2 or below
• Dry goods: spice blends, seasoning mixes, herbal teas, roasted coffee beans, popcorn
• Honey (raw or processed)
• Maple syrup (shelf-stable when properly bottled)
• Fruit pies (fruit-filled, no custard or cream)

Foods That Require a Commercial Kitchen

Anything that needs refrigeration to stay safe falls outside the home license. Common products that push you into the Commercial Food Processor License ($50/year) and a dedicated commercial facility:

• Cheesecakes, cream pies, custard-filled pastries
• Decorated cakes with cream cheese or whipped cream frosting
• Prepared meals (sandwiches, soups, entrees)
• Fresh pasta
• Low-acid canned vegetables processed without standard acidification
• Dairy products (butter, cheese, yogurt — these fall under the Dairy Program, not the food processor license)
• Meat and poultry products (strictly excluded from home licensing; must be processed in a state- or federally inspected facility)

The Food Sovereignty Exception

If your town has adopted a Food Sovereignty Ordinance, the allowed-foods list expands dramatically. Under an FSO, you can sell hot meals, sandwiches, soups, cream-filled baked goods, and locally caught seafood — all from your home, without a state license. The only absolute exclusion is meat and poultry regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

The tradeoff: FSO sales must be face-to-face at your home. You cannot ship products, sell at farmers' markets in other towns, or supply retail stores.

The Acidified Foods Gray Area

Pickles and salsas sit in a middle zone. They are allowed under the home license, but only after you get a Scheduled Process letter. This means sending your recipe to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, which tests the pH and issues a written confirmation that your formulation is safe. You also need to verify pH on every batch (must be at or below 4.2) and keep lot identification codes for traceability.

Without the Scheduled Process letter, you cannot legally sell acidified products — even if your recipe has been in the family for decades.

The Maine Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide includes the full decision matrix mapping each food category to its regulatory pathway, along with the forms and contacts you need to get your specific products approved.

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