Tennessee Cottage Food Label Requirements: Every Element You Need

Tennessee doesn't require a food license or routine inspection for home-kitchen producers, but it does require a label — and the label requirements are surprisingly specific. Getting even one element wrong (especially the mandatory disclaimer) creates a compliance issue that could get you pulled from a farmers market or flagged during a Department of Health investigation.

The law requires the following core information on every packaged cottage food product, with additional label details recommended below.

The Required Label Information

1. Producer's Full Legal Name. Your legal name as it appears on tax documents. A business trade name or DBA alone isn't sufficient unless your legal name accompanies it.

2. Physical Home Address. The street address of the private residence where you produce the food. PO boxes, route numbers, and box numbers are not accepted as standalone addresses — the law specifically requires your physical home address.

3. Phone Number. An active telephone number where you can be reached.

4. Product Name. The common or usual name of the food item — "Strawberry Jam," "Chocolate Chip Cookies," "Mixed Berry Granola."

5. Net Quantity (Recommended). Listing the net weight or volume in both imperial (ounces, pounds) and metric (grams, milliliters) units is a useful addition.

6. Ingredient List. A complete list of ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight. If you use compound ingredients like chocolate chips or butter, you must list their sub-ingredients in parentheses. Example: "Chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla)."

7. Allergen Disclosure (Recommended). Clear identification of any of the nine major FDA-recognized allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. You can either bold the allergen within the ingredient list or use a separate "Contains:" statement below it.

8. The Mandatory Disclaimer. This exact wording must appear on every product:

"This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens."

The disclaimer cannot be modified, paraphrased, shortened, or reworded. It has to be printed in a legible font with sufficient contrast against the background.

Special Rules for TCS Products

If you're selling perishable (TCS) foods under the 2025 HB 130 expansion, you also need the date of production — the exact date the batch was made. This is mandatory for all TCS items and supports traceability in case of a food safety issue.

While not legally required for shelf-stable products, adding a production date and lot number to everything you sell is a smart practice. If a contamination issue surfaces, a lot number lets you identify and pull only the affected batch instead of recalling your entire inventory.

Labels for Non-Packaged Sales

Not everything gets a sticker. The law accounts for three selling situations:

• Bulk or unpackaged products (selling from a bin or display): The required information must appear on a prominent placard at the point of sale, visible to customers before purchase.
• Online-only sales: The required information must be displayed on the product webpage; recommended additions can be shown there too.
• Phone or custom orders: You must verbally disclose that the product was made in an exempt home kitchen and may contain allergens. Keep a printed copy of your full label information available to provide on request.

Common Mistakes

The two most frequent labeling errors that get Tennessee home food sellers flagged:

Using a PO box instead of a home address. The law is explicit about requiring a physical residence address. If you're uncomfortable listing your home address publicly, consider forming an LLC with a registered agent — but the product label itself still needs to show where the food was actually made.

Modifying the disclaimer. Adding to it, shortening it, or changing the wording all create non-compliance. "Made in a home kitchen" isn't the same thing as the statutory language. Use the exact text from T.C.A. § 53-1-118.

Putting It All Together

The label requirements are one piece of a larger compliance picture that includes product classification, tax registration, and local business licensing. Our Tennessee Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide includes a Label Builder Worksheet that walks through each element and helps you assemble a compliant label before you print your first batch.

See more Tennessee guides →