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Cottage food by state

Missouri cottage food law: what you can sell and how

Missouri's cottage food law is short: baked goods, canned jams and jellies, and dried herbs, made at home and sold directly to consumers in Missouri, with no license and no sales cap.

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Updated November 2026 by the Madeline's team, who set these tools up for makers and farms.

The short version

No permit, license or inspection. Only baked goods, canned jams or jellies, and dried herbs or herb mixes qualify. Sell directly to consumers, including online if both you and the buyer are in Missouri. No sales across state lines and no wholesale. The $50,000 cap was removed in 2022.

Missouri rules at a glance

  1. Who regulates

    Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services guidance under RSMo 196.298. Local health departments cannot regulate cottage food production.

  2. License

    None. A cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment.

  3. Allowed foods

    Non-potentially hazardous baked goods, canned jams or jellies, and dried herbs and herb mixes. Nothing else.

  4. Not allowed

    Cut produce, sauces like barbecue or hot sauce, and no-sugar-added, sugar-free or hot pepper jams and jellies.

  5. Sales limit

    None since August 28, 2022.

  6. Where you can sell

    Directly to consumers, sold by you or a knowledgeable member of your household. Online only when both you and the buyer are in Missouri. Not across state lines, and not wholesale.

  7. Labels

    Your full name and address, product name, ingredients by weight, net weight, allergens, and a statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department.

Check the source

  • Official source

    Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 196.298

    Rules change. Confirm the current figures and forms with the state before you start selling.

    Open the official page

  • Cottage food to commercial kitchen

    What changes when you outgrow the limits.

    Read the guide

  • Free tool

    Cost per jar calculator

    Price your cottage food products from what they really cost.

    Use the calculator

  • Food label requirements

    What a packaged food label needs, including allergens.

    Read the guide

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Questions

Do I need a license for cottage food in Missouri?

No. Missouri cottage food production operations are exempt from health and food code licensing.

Is there a cottage food sales limit in Missouri?

No. The $50,000 cap was removed effective August 28, 2022.

Can I sell cottage food online in Missouri?

Yes, when both you and the buyer are in Missouri.

Can I sell salsa or hot sauce as cottage food in Missouri?

No. Sauces are not covered.

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Tell us what you make and what you use today. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer. We reply by email with what we would keep, what we would change and what it costs.

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