Alaska Can you legally sell food from home in Alaska?

Cottage Food Law

In 2024, Alaska replaced their old cottage food law with a food freedom law (HB 251), and is now one of the best states for selling homemade food.

Producers can sell almost any type of homemade food, including perishable foods and certain items with meat.

Producers can sell almost anywhere within the state, including in-person, online, and at many retail locations.

There is no sales limit, home kitchen inspection, or license needed from the health department, but producers do need to get a business license.

The Municipality of Anchorage has their own rules for selling homemade food.

Table of Contents

Selling Allowed Foods Limitations Business Labeling Resources Forum

Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?

Allowed Venues

Events Farmers markets Home Online Retail stores Roadside stands

Allowed Services

Delivery Home Pickup Mail order Wholesale

You can sell any type of allowed food online directly to consumers, but you cannot sell perishable homemade foods through an online food hub (an online third-party marketplace).

If you sell in retail location (like a grocery store), the retail space must have a sign saying that the homemade food was made in a home kitchen, may contain allergens, and is not regulated or inspected. Also, your products cannot be displayed on the same shelf as inspected food.

If you want to sell perishable homemade food at a retail location, there are other requirements to follow.

Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?

Candy

Brittles Buttercream frosting Candies Chocolate Cotton candy Fudge Truffles

Condiments

Honey Ketchup Mustards Nut butters Oils Pickles Salsas Sauces Syrups Vinegars

Dry goods

Cereals Coffee beans Dried fruit Dried vegetables Herbs Mixes Pasta noodles Spices & Seasonings Tea leaves

Other

Carbonated drinks Extracts Fermented foods Frozen produce Hardboiled whole eggs Juices Kombucha Whole eggs

Pastries

Churros Cones Danish Empanadas & Tamales Other Pastries Pies

Preserves

Acidified foods Applesauce Chutneys Fruit butters Jams & jellies Low-acid canned foods Marmalades Other Preserves

Snacks

Candied apples Caramel corn Chocolate-covered fruit Chocolate-covered items Crackers & Pretzels Fruit leathers Granola Kettle corn Marshmallows Nuts & seeds Popcorn Vegetable chips

Prohibited Foods

Baked goods with alcohol Confections with alcohol

There are probably more prohibited foods, but the ones above have been confirmed

All homemade food products are allowed, except for:

You cannot sell homemade dairy products (such as milk, ice cream, cheese, butter, etc).
You cannot sell seafood, oils rendered from animal fat, alcohol, cannabis, and a few other items.
You can only use meat in your products if it falls within a federal exemption. For instance, you can use meat that is legally sold without needing to be inspected in a USDA facility (e.g. meat products prepared on-site at a grocery store or butcher), or you can use meat from your own poultry (as long as you have 1,000 or fewer poultry).

Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?

Limitations

Home address required Interstate sales prohibited

There may be more limitations, but the ones above have been confirmed

There is no sales limit

Business What do you need to do to sell food from home?

Business License

You must get a business license to sell in Alaska.

Labeling How do you label cottage food products?

Label Requirements

Business address Business name Phone number Statement

Sample Label

"This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens"

Forrager Cookie Company

123 Chewy Way, Cookietown, AK 73531

Phone: (123) 456-7890

You must also put your business license number on your labels.

If you sell unpackaged items (e.g. from a bulk bin), you must inform the buyer that the food is not subject to certain state certification, labeling, licensing, packaging, regulation, or inspection requirements, and you must provide the buyer with your name, home address, telephone number, and business license number.

If you don’t want to put your home address on your labels, you might still be able to use Alaska’s older cottage food law (18 AAC 13.012), which only requires your business license number and a specific statement on labels. However, that law would only allow you to directly sell up to $25,000/year of nonperishable foods.