This is not legal advice.
Cottage food laws change frequently and vary by county or local health department. Always confirm current requirements with Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) or a local food safety professional before printing labels or selling product. View the official source. Last verified: 2026-08.
Required Label Statement
Exact wording Tennessee requires
“This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.”
No statewide font-size is specified for the statement itself. Alongside it, you must disclose the producer's name, home address, and telephone number; the food's common name; ingredients in descending order of predominance; and (only for potentially hazardous/TCS items) the production date. This information must appear on a label (packaged items), a label on the container (bulk items), a placard at the point of sale (unpackaged, non-bulk items), or on the webpage (internet-only sales). For phone or custom-order sales, you don't have to display the information, but you must verbally disclose the private-residence/exemption/allergen language and provide the rest on request.
Sales Cap & Registration
Annual Sales Cap
Registration & Permitting
Food Safety Course
What You Can (and Can't) Sell
Allowed
Not Allowed
Selling something that needs a full Nutrition Facts panel (like packaged prepared meals) instead of a cottage food disclosure? See our meal prep labeling guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly must a Tennessee homemade food label or disclosure say?
By law (T.C.A. § 53-1-118(b)(3)(E)) it must include: "This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens." Plus your name, home address, phone number, the product's common name, and ingredients in descending order — on a label, a point-of-sale placard, or your webpage depending on how you sell.
Do I need a permit or license to sell homemade food in Tennessee?
No. The Food Freedom Act exempts homemade food production and sale from all state licensing, permitting, and inspection requirements. TDA does not issue permits or licenses for this category at all.
Is there a sales cap in Tennessee?
No — Tennessee does not limit annual gross sales for homemade food producers under the Food Freedom Act.
Can I sell homemade items with dairy, cream cheese icing, or chicken in Tennessee?
Since the July 2025 amendment, yes, more than in most states: pasteurized dairy products and certain TCS (temperature-control-for-safety) foods are now allowed, along with poultry raised under the federal 1,000-bird exemption or from a federally inspected source. Raw milk, fish/shellfish, and most other meat and poultry remain off-limits.