Does a Kansas cottage food label need a Nutrition Facts panel?

Not by state cottage-food law unless a nutrient content or health claim is made; the federal small-business exemption usually applies. If you choose to print a panel, it has to be complete and correctly formatted.

Kansas Cottage Food Label Requirements

No cottage-food statute — direct-to-consumer licence exemption for non-TCS foods (K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4); K.A.R. 4-28-33), administered by the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture Food Safety & Lodging program

Registration

Not required

No licence, registration, fee or routine inspection for food produced for distribution directly to the end consumer that does not require time/temperature control for safety or specialized processing (K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4)). The exempt kitchen must meet the sanitation and hygiene rules in K.A.R. 4-28-33 and remains subject to inspection if a violation is observed or reported (K.S.A. 65-689(e)). Leaving product with another business (stores, restaurants, consignment, unattended booths) requires a KDA food processing licence.

Annual sales limit

none — no annual sales cap appears in K.S.A. 65-689, K.A.R. 4-28-33 or KDA's farmers-market guidance (argument from silence)

Where you can sell

Direct to the end consumer only: from home, farmers' markets, craft fairs, bazaars and similar events, and internet orders including shipping (the receiving state's rules apply). The seller may not give up physical control of the product except to the end consumer — consignment and sales to stores or restaurants need a food processing licence (KDA farmers-market page).

The required label statement

Good news — Kansas does not require a home-kitchen disclaimer sentence on the label. Kansas mandates NO home-kitchen disclaimer sentence — do not print one. KDA's farmers-market guidance lists only the common name and the producer's name and address, and the joint KDA/K-State guide MF3138 states that uninspected Kansas-made foods do NOT need to be labelled "homemade" or as not inspected (a voluntary statement is allowed).

What must be on your label

Common name of the product (KDA: "Packaged products should be labeled with the common name of the product, and the name and address of the producer"; K.S.A. 65-665(i) — food is misbranded without its common or usual name)
Name and address of the producer (KDA farmers-market guidance; K.S.A. 65-665(e) — name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor)
Ingredients in descending order by weight when the food has two or more ingredients, naming the major food allergens in plain language, e.g. "casein (milk)" (K.S.A. 65-665(i); KDA/K-State MF3138 ch. 4)
Net quantity — weight, measure or numerical count (K.S.A. 65-665(e); MF3138 ch. 4)
No home-kitchen / not-inspected statement is required; it may be added voluntarily (MF3138)
Organic, health, nutrient or structure/function claims only if USDA/FDA rules for the claim are met (MF3138 ch. 4)

Example: a Kansas label for a bag of butter cookies

An illustrative worksheet with the lines Kansas requires, and placeholders for your own details. It is not an approved product label or a tested recipe. Replace the ingredients and the measured package quantity with your actual product information.

Butter cookies

[Your business name]

[Your address, city, KS, ZIP]

Ingredients: Wheat flour [supplier sub-ingredients], sugar, butter [supplier sub-ingredients], eggs, salt.

Contains: Wheat, Milk, Eggs.

Net Wt. [measured ounces] oz ([metric equivalent] g)

The example ingredient order follows the input weights in our butter-cookie recipe. It does not establish the weight of a finished bag. Any additions or supplier sub-ingredients must be reflected in your own label.

Before you print

Match every ingredient and sub-ingredient to your actual recipe and supplier labels.
Check the allergen declaration, the filled package's net quantity, and producer details.
Confirm the product and sales setup with the Kansas program; do not infer registration or an exemption from this example.
Review the whole package, including any required information placed outside the Nutrition Facts panel.

Kansas cottage food label questions

Does a Kansas cottage food label need a home-kitchen statement?: No. Kansas mandates NO home-kitchen disclaimer sentence — do not print one. KDA's farmers-market guidance lists only the common name and the producer's name and address, and the joint KDA/K-State guide MF3138 states that uninspected Kansas-made foods do NOT need to be labelled "homemade" or as not inspected (a voluntary statement is allowed).
Do I need a license or registration to sell cottage food in Kansas?: No. No licence, registration, fee or routine inspection for food produced for distribution directly to the end consumer that does not require time/temperature control for safety or specialized processing (K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4)). The exempt kitchen must meet the sanitation and hygiene rules in K.A.R. 4-28-33 and remains subject to inspection if a violation is observed or reported (K.S.A. 65-689(e)). Leaving product with another business (stores, restaurants, consignment, unattended booths) requires a KDA food processing licence.
Is there a sales limit for Kansas cottage food?: No annual cap is set: none — no annual sales cap appears in K.S.A. 65-689, K.A.R. 4-28-33 or KDA's farmers-market guidance (argument from silence).
Where can I sell cottage food in Kansas?: Direct to the end consumer only: from home, farmers' markets, craft fairs, bazaars and similar events, and internet orders including shipping (the receiving state's rules apply). The seller may not give up physical control of the product except to the end consumer — consignment and sales to stores or restaurants need a food processing licence (KDA farmers-market page).
Does a Kansas cottage food label need a Nutrition Facts panel?: Not by state cottage-food law unless a nutrient content or health claim is made; the federal small-business exemption usually applies. If you choose to print a panel, it has to be complete and correctly formatted.

Worth knowing

Kansas has no cottage-food statute. The exemption is K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4) (no food-establishment licence for food distributed directly to the end consumer that needs no time/temperature control or specialized processing); the label items above come from Kansas's general misbranding statute (K.S.A. 65-665, amended 2022) and KDA guidance, not from a cottage-food label list.
Not allowed under the exemption: cream pies, cut melons and cut tomatoes, pickles and other home-canned products (traditional jams and jellies excepted), jerky, and other foods needing temperature control or specialized processing (KDA farmers-market page).
Sourcing caveat (2026-10-19): agriculture.ks.gov and sos.ks.gov refuse automated fetches; the live KDA farmers-market page was read through a text-proxy render of the official page, and K.A.R. 4-28-33 (effective May 31, 2013, no labeling provisions) was read from Cornell LII's copy of the Kansas Administrative Regulations. KDA's older /dairy-food-safety/cottage-food URL now returns only site navigation.
MF3138 (K-State Research & Extension with KDA, 2026 revision) is a secondary source used only to confirm that no "homemade"/not-inspected statement is required and that allergens must be named in plain language.

Verified against official Kansas sources on 2026-10-19. Official source. This page is not legal advice — confirm requirements with your state.

Turn the requirements into your label

Labelara offers free nutrition calculation and preview, with paid print-ready exports. Read the calculation methodology before using the results. Creating a label does not approve your product or business for sale.

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