Indiana Can you legally sell food from home in Indiana?
Cottage Food Law
Indiana has two laws for homemade food processors: this law for “homestead vendors” (HB 1424), and an older law for “home-based vendors” (HB 1149).
This law (for homestead vendors) is better to use for sales from home, at farmers markets, and online (including in-state shipping) since it allows many more types of foods to be sold.
Indiana’s other law (for home-based vendors) is for those who also want to sell at all public events and at roadside stands. Fortunately, producers can use both laws in tandem.
Under this law, homestead vendors and small farms can sell almost any kind of food (including perishable meat products, if the producer raises the meat themselves) from home, at farmers markets, and online (including in-state shipping).
There is virtually no sales limit ($1.5M/year) and no license or inspection needed, and the law prohibits local governments from regulating and/or prohibiting homemade food sales.
Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?
You can only deliver products or sell online if you take a food handler training course.
You can sell from a roadside stand if it is on your property.
If you want to construct a building on your property to sell products, you must follow requirements in Indiana Code 22-13-2-16.
Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?
You can sell almost any type of food with this law, including perishable foods.
However, you can only sell items containing meat if you raise the meat on your property.
Here’s a list of items you CANNOT sell with this law:
- Items containing purchased meat
- Items containing raw milk
- Alcoholic beverages
- Pet food
If you want to sell honey, see this document.
Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?
Business What do you need to do to sell food from home?
If you want to deliver products or sell online, you must take an approved food safety training course, such as ServSafe’s Food Handler Training course, which costs $15 and can be completed online in 2 hours.
Labeling How do you label cottage food products?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
"This product was produced by a homestead vendor or the owner of a small farm that is exempt from government licensing and inspection" (10-point type)
John Baker
123 Chewy Way, Cookietown, IN 73531
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
In addition to listing allergens that your product contains, you also need to list allergens that may have come in contact with your product. For instance, if you bake with flour in your kitchen, you would likely need to list wheat as a possible allergen on all of your labels, regardless of whether wheat is listed as an ingredient.
If your products are unpackaged, you need to put the labeling information on a sign at the point of sale.
Resources Where can you find more information about this law?
- Telephone
- 317-233-1325
- Address
- 2 North Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN 46204