Tennessee Can you legally sell food from home in Tennessee?
Cottage Food Law
In 2017, Tennessee passed a bill (SB 1187) which greatly simplified their laws for selling homemade food.
Tennessee’s law only allows direct sales, but that includes selling online and shipping within the state.
All types of nonperishable foods are allowed, except for acidified foods (e.g. pickles, salsas, sauces).
There is no sales limit, and a producer doesn’t need a permit from the ag department to sell under this law.
Selling Where can you sell homemade food products?
Allowed Foods What food products can you sell from home?
Except for acidified vegetables (pickles, salsas, sauces, etc), all nonperishable foods are allowed.
You can sell up to 150 gallons per year of honey from home (see TCA 53-1-102 “Selling”).
Limitations How will your home food business be restricted?
You cannot have any regular, full-time employees, but part-time employees are allowed.
Labeling How do you label cottage food products?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Forrager Cookie Company
123 Chewy Way, Cookietown, TN 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
Produced on 5/25/2022
NET WT 2 lb 4 oz (1.02 kg)
You must put lot dates or numbers on your labels.
You can see a sample label in this guide.
Resources Where can you find more information about this law?
- January 2007
- TN Rules & Regulations 0080-04-11-.04
- May 2012
- SB 3547
- April 2017
- SB 1187
Prior to 2017, Tennessee had two laws: one for “home-based kitchens”, which allowed direct sales of certain nonperishable foods, and the other for “domestic kitchens”, which allowed indirect sales, but required an extensive application process.
Ed Collins
Ashley Colpaart
Mike
Amelie
Bev
Amy
Sue Fetterolf
Comments
Patty Pieper
Hi, Just a note: Our domestic kitchen laws were amended in April2017 with SB799. It can be easily accessed on-line.
Lynne Flournoy
Can someone tell me if freeze dried foods are allowed to be sold at Farmers Markets and events? Fruits, veggies, Baked items and freeze dried candy.
Melissa Murphy
I would like to start a coffee and tea subscription box/service. All of the products in the box would be white/private label so I would not be preparing any foods in my home, just assembling the boxes to be shipped. I have yet to find any information on business requirements for this kind of operation. All orders would be placed/sold online. Can you provide any insight or point me in the right direction? Thank you.
Tina White
I want to sell lunch plates and deliver them what food can i not prepare that fine whats your response
Louise
It looks like that would not be allowed… anything with meat or cheese or cooked pasta would not be allowed according to this list. But I would contact Nancy Austin (listed above) to be sure of the answer.
Tina White
I want to sell lunch plates and deliver them what food can i not prepare