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

Utah's cottage food rules are specific about what you can sell — and the banned list catches people who assume "baked goods" means anything from an oven. Under Rule R70-560, every product must be shelf-stable and non-TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety). That single requirement disqualifies dozens of popular items that seem safe at room temperature.

Allowed Foods Under R70-560

Baked goods (dry heat only — oven or skillet):

• Breads (with non-TCS inclusions: nuts, dried fruit, dried vegetables, chocolate)
• Cookies, brownies, bars
• Muffins, scones, biscuits
• Pies with fruit filling (double-crust or crumb-top — no custard, cream, or meringue)
• Tortillas, flatbreads

Candy and confections:

• Hard candies, toffee, brittle
• Freeze-dried candies
• Cotton candy
• Caramels (no dairy-cream caramels that require refrigeration)

Spreads and preserves:

• Jams, jellies, and fruit preserves from standard fruits (as defined under 21 CFR 150)
• Fruit butters are not permitted
• Must contain standard sugar levels — sugar-free and no-sugar-added jams are banned

Dry goods:

• Granola, trail mixes, cereal mixes
• Popcorn (plain, caramel, kettle)
• Dried herbs and spice blends
• Dried fruits from highly acidic varieties (low-acid fruits only if freeze-dried)

Honey:

• Raw honey, creamed honey
• Flavored honey (infused with approved dried herbs or spices)

Vinegars:

• Plain or flavored vinegars — must be strained or filtered before bottling so no solid flavoring components remain

Banned Foods (the Traps)

These are the items that disqualify cottage food operators most often:

Cream-based frostings and fillings: Cream cheese frosting, buttercream made with real butter and cream, custard, pastry cream, lemon curd, and meringue are all TCS foods. A cake with cream cheese frosting cannot be sold under cottage food rules, period. Shelf-stable alternatives (commercial dry-mix buttercreams with no egg or dairy cream) are the workaround.

Fresh fruit toppings and garnishes: A strawberry-topped tart or fresh blueberry muffin topping is not permitted; fresh fruit garnishes or toppings can make a product ineligible for this pathway.

Fresh-cut vegetables: Carrot cake with fresh shredded carrots is technically prohibited because fresh vegetables in baked goods are a TCS concern under Utah's interpretation. Dehydrated or freeze-dried vegetables are the acceptable substitute.

Fried foods: Cottage food production must use dry heat — oven or skillet. Frying and steaming are explicitly prohibited under R70-560. No doughnuts, funnel cakes, or fried pies.

Sugar-free and no-sugar-added jams: Sugar acts as a preservative in traditional jams and jellies. Reduced-sugar formulations alter the water activity enough to potentially make the product TCS. UDAF bans them outright under the cottage food path.

Low-acid canned goods: Canned vegetables, pickled eggs, and other low-acid preserved foods require specialized HACCP plans and process authority approval that isn't available for cottage food operators.

Tomato-based products: Tomatoes are explicitly excluded from the approved "standard fruits" list for cottage food jams and preserves. Tomato sauce, salsa, and tomato jam are off the table under this pathway.

The Sourdough Question

Sourdough is allowed but comes with a specific regulatory hurdle. UDAF requires that sourdough starters either:

1. Use a commercially manufactured culture (easiest path — keep the packaging as proof), or
2. Prove a stable pH of 4.0 or below through certified lab testing

If you're using a home-cultivated starter that's been on your counter for years, you'll need to submit a sample to a UDAF-approved laboratory. The pH test typically costs around $20. Without this documentation, UDAF will reject your application.

This applies to the starter itself, not the finished bread. But since the starter's acidity determines the bread's classification, UDAF won't approve sourdough recipes until the starter's pH is on file.

What About Pets?

UDAF's cottage food rules require that no free-roaming pets be in the home during production. The rule is broader than most people expect — it's not just "keep dogs out of the kitchen."

Most operators use child safety gates or closed doors to keep pets out of the home during production. If you have a cat that roams the entire house, you'll need a containment strategy the inspector can verify during the pre-operational walkthrough.

The Alternative: Homemade Food Act

If the product you want to make is banned under cottage food rules — cream cheese cakes, custard pies, or anything requiring temperature control — Utah's Homemade Food Act (HB 181) may cover you. That pathway allows nearly any food, including TCS items, but restricts you to direct-to-consumer sales only. No wholesale, no retail stores.

The trade-off is clear: cottage food gives you broader sales channels but a narrower product list; the Homemade Food Act gives you a broader product list but narrower sales channels.

For the full allowed-foods lists, labeling templates, and decision trees for both pathways, our Utah Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide covers every product category with specific examples and workarounds.

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