Form Center

Food and drink produced by a cottage food operation shall be sold directly to consumers for their own consumption and not for resale. Sales to retail stores, such as restaurants, grocery stores, or bakeries; to third party distributors for resale; or to third party distributors that deliver products on your behalf are prohibited. Sales of cottage foods are limited to within the state of Illinois. A cottage food operation may sell products outside of the municipality or county where the cottage food operation is located. A copy of your certificate of registration must be available upon request by IDPH and any local health department.

Indicate how you will sell your products. Check all that apply.

Note: Cottage food businesses selling from their home may be prohibited from some sales activities at home by local laws that apply to all cottage food operations. Check with your unit of local government about requirements on parking, signage, customer counts, etc.

Pick-up from my home or farm
On-farm store
Delivery to or pick-up from a third-party private property with consent of the property holder (i.e., dropoff/pick-up location/pop-up stand).
Online sales
Delivery directly to customer
Farmers market/fairs/festivals/pop up stand/public event
Shipping (Cottage food products that are shipped must be sealed in a manner that reveals tampering, including a sticker or pop top. Cottage foods may not be shipped across state lines.)

Other:

If you selected “Shipping” from above, describe how you will seal your product in a manner that reveals tampering:

At the point of sale, notice must be provided in a prominent location that states the following: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department." At a physical display, notice shall be a placard. Online, notice shall be a message on the cottage food operation's online sales interface at the point of sale.

Indicate the ways in which you will notify customers at point of sale:

Prominent placard at my booth/stall (8in x 10in minimum)
Signage placed prominently at the pick-up location at my home/farm (8in x 10in minimum).
Language placed prominently at the point of sale on my website or sales platform.

Other:

All cottage food products must be pre-packaged in the home kitchen. The food packaging must conform to the labeling requirements of the Illinois Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and must contain the following phrase in prominent lettering: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department."

Are you using any ingredients grown or raised on an Illinois farm and purchased directly from the farmer? If so, you are entitled and encouraged to use the following terminology on your label: Illinois Grown, Illinois-Sourced, Illinois Farm Product

Search Forms:

Cottage Food Operations Registration

Steps

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

Contact Us

Quick Links

Helpful Links