Hawaii Can you legally sell food from home in Hawaii?
Cottage Food Law
In 2017, Hawaii’s health department updated their food safety rules to allow the sale of homemade food. In 2024, they passed a bill (HB 2144) which improved their law further.
Homemade food (HMF) operations can sell most types of non-perishable foods almost anywhere, including from home, at market and events, through stores, online, and via shipping.
It is very easy to sell homemade food in Hawaii. HMF producers only need to take a basic food safety training course before selling. There is no required permit, inspection process, or sales limit.
Tutorial Video Watch a tutorial that will walk you through this law page
I know, it’s overwhelming! I created this tutorial video for Hawaii to walk you through everything you need to know about this law.
You can watch it by joining Cottage Food Pro, which only costs $5 per month and not only gives you access to this video, but also monthly group calls and many other premium (and money-saving) tutorials as well.
Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?
Some farmers markets and events may require you to get a special event permit.
If a restaurant wants to use your product in their menu items, they must disclose to the customer that the product is homemade, and they must provide your product label if the customer requests it.
Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?
If you sell acidified foods with cut tomatoes (like salsa), you must keep them refrigerated.
You can only sell acidified foods and fermented foods if they are made from vegetables or fruit (except for melons).
Juices must be sold directly to the consumer.
Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?
Business What do you need to do to sell food from home?
Before selling homemade food, you must complete a food safety training course, which is valid for three years. You have two options:
- Attend a Food Safety Education Workshop for free on your island.
- Complete an ANSI accredited food handler class online, like ServSafe’s course. Courses typically cost about $10-$15 and can be completed in 2 – 3 hours.
Labeling How do you label cottage food products?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
"Made in a home kitchen not routinely inspected by the Department of Health"
Forrager Cookie Company
Email: [email protected]
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)
Contains: milk, eggs, wheat, soy
You do not need to put your business address on the label, but you must include “contact information”. This could be your business address (PO boxes are allowed), email address, or phone number (or any combination of the three). The health department’s example label uses an email address as the contact information.
If you sell hand-pounded poi, you must include this statement on those labels instead: “This hand-pounded poi was prepared in a facility not inspected by the Department of Health”
Workplace Are there any home kitchen requirements?
You must have a hand washing sink available at all times during food prep.
The health department has the ability to inspect your kitchen on a regular basis, though they are not required to do so.
Resources Where can you find more information about this law?
- Organization
- Department of Health
- Department
- Food Safety Branch
Food Safety & Health Offices
- September 2017
- HAR 11-50 New Food Safety Rules
- August 2025
- HB 2144
Prior to 2017, some individuals tried to pass many cottage food bills (such as SB 379 & HB 1174) without success. At that time, it was only possible to sell homemade food at events with a temporary permit (valid for 20 days within a 4 month period). Hawaii was one of the last states to adopt a basic cottage food law.
In 2017, the Hawaii Department of Health updated their food safety rules to allow for homemade food sales, which is different than most states which created their cottage food law through the passage of a bill.
In 2024, they passed their first cottage food bill (HB 2144) which expanded their law by allowing acidified/fermented foods and well as indirect sales, online sales, and in-state shipping. Although the bill was supposed to go into effect in January 2025, the new rules were not adopted until August 2025.