Arizona Can you legally sell food from home in Arizona?
Cottage Food Law
Arizona’s has one of the best cottage food laws of any state.
Producers can sell almost any type of food, including products containing meat.
Most types of food products can be sold anywhere, including from home, at events, in stores, and online. However, dairy products and items containing meat can only be sold directly (in-person) to consumers.
There is no sales limit, and a producer can start selling very easily by taking a basic online food safety course and filling out a simple registration form online.
Arizona has one of the most successful cottage food programs of any state, with ~10,000 businesses registered as of 2024.
Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?
Dairy products (e.g. milk, ice cream, cheese, butter, etc) and products containing meat or poultry can only be sold directly to the consumer. Although you can sell these types of products online, you still have to deliver them in-person, and you cannot sell them via a third-party food delivery platform (e.g. DoorDash, UberEats, etc).
You can sell all other products anywhere, including selling online and shipping them, selling in stores, and selling via third-party food delivery platforms. But there are a few caveats:
- Although you can sell your products in stores, the store must display homemade products on a separate shelf/section from commercially-produced products
- Although food service establishments can resell your products, they cannot use your products as ingredients in a new product
- If you deliver perishable foods, you must maintain them at a safe temperature during the delivery process, you can only transport them once, and you cannot transport them for longer than two hours
You must display your certificate of registration when selling at events (like farmers markets).
Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?
You can sell almost any kind of homemade food. However, your products cannot contain:
- Raw milk
- Alcohol
- Fish / shellfish
- Meat from an unapproved source
- 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).
- Marijuana
See more info about approved foods here.
Dairy products (e.g. milk, ice cream, cheese, butter, etc) and products containing meat or poultry can only be sold directly to the consumer. Although you can sell these types of products online, you still have to deliver them in-person, and you cannot sell them via a third-party food delivery platform (e.g. DoorDash, UberEats, etc).
If you deliver perishable foods, you must maintain them at a safe temperature during the delivery process, you can only transport them once, and you cannot transport them for longer than two hours.
Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?
Business What do you need to do to sell food from home?
Before you can register as a cottage food producer, you must take an ANSI-accredited food safety training course, such as Learn2Serve’s Food Handler course, which only costs $10 and can be completed online in a couple of hours.
Here is some more info about the food handler training requirements. Some counties in Arizona require you to get a food handler card that is issued by them.
After completing your food handler course, you must register online with the health department.
You must renew your registration every 3 years.
Labeling How do you label cottage food products?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
"This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection"
"To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a foodborne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood"
Forrager Cookie Company
Permit #: 12345
Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, natural flavors), brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract (vanilla bean extract, alcohol, sugar), baking soda, salt (salt, calcium silicate)
Produced on 12/21/2024
Here is some more information about labeling.
If you sell online, your online listing must include all of the label info in a prominent way.
If applicable, your label must include a statement that the product was prepared in the home kitchen of a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Workplace Are there any home kitchen requirements?
You cannot store food products or food prep equipment outside of your home.
Resources Where can you find more information about this law?
- Department
- Arizona Department of Health Services
- CottageFood@azdhs.gov
- Telephone
- (602) 364-3118
- Address
- 150 N. 18th Avenue, Suite 140
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Office of Environmental Health
Arizona created their initial cottage food law in 2011 (HB 2103) and amended it in 2018 (SB 1022) to allow more types of nonperishable food products. Read this article for more info about how the initial law was created, and watch this promotional video for the initial law.
In 2023, they tried to create a food freedom law (HB 2509) to allow perishable food products as well, but although it had overwhelming bipartisan support, it was controversially vetoed at the last minute by the governor.
They tried again in 2024 (HB 2042), and even though it was nearly identical to 2023’s food freedom bill, Gov. Hobbs (who faced a lot of negative press after the first veto) decided not to veto it again.
Although their new food freedom law was a significant improvement in almost every way, it placed extra restrictions on those who sell nonperishable foods in stores.
Arizona’s law has always contained a special accommodation for facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities, and they are the only state to do so.
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