Special Categories in Georgia

The Vidalia onion is one of the most legally protected agricultural products in the United States. Protected by both Georgia state law (the Vidalia Onion Act of 1986) and federal marketing orders, the name "Vidalia onion" may only be applied to onions grown within a specific 20-county region of southeastern Georgia where the soil chemistry produces the vegetable's characteristic sweetness.

For cottage food sellers, Vidalia onions offer rich ingredient potential — but using the name "Vidalia" on your label when the product doesn't contain genuine Vidalia-grown onions would be a misrepresentation. If you source your onions from the designated growing region during the April–August season, you can accurately market Vidalia onion–based products.

• Vidalia onion dry blends
• Vidalia onion seasoning salt
• Vidalia onion–infused vinegar
• Vidalia onion soup mix (dry)
• Dehydrated Vidalia onion flakes
• Vidalia onion peach jam / jelly (high-sugar)

• Caramelized Vidalia onion jam (cooked vegetable product — prohibited)
• Vidalia onion dip (dairy-based — refrigeration required)
• Vidalia onion relish or chutney (acidified/cooked — prohibited)

Georgia is one of the leading pecan-producing states in the country. The pecan tree is native to the American South, and Georgia's warm climate and fertile soil produce pecans with a rich, buttery flavor that distinguishes them from commercially grown western varieties. For cottage food sellers, Georgia pecans represent a premium, locally sourced ingredient with strong consumer recognition.

Coated and uncoated nuts are explicitly on Georgia's approved cottage food list — making pecan-based products one of the cleanest categories to sell. From spiced pecans to pecan brittle to pecan-studded cookies, this is an ingredient that plays across multiple product categories.

• Coated pecans (sweet, savory, spiced)
• Plain roasted pecans
• Pecan brittle
• Pecan pralines
• Pecan cookies and brownies
• Pecan pie (shelf-stable)
• Pecan granola
• Pecan trail mix

Georgia's peanut heritage is extraordinary — the state produces approximately 50% of all peanuts grown in the United States. Peanut farming is deeply woven into Georgia's agricultural identity, particularly in south Georgia where sandy soils produce the high-quality crops that supply much of the nation's peanut butter supply. President Jimmy Carter's famous peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, brought this heritage to national attention in 1976.

For cottage food sellers, peanuts are a versatile, shelf-stable, and deeply Georgia-rooted ingredient with strong buyer recognition. Peanut-based products translate naturally into multiple approved cottage food categories.

• Flavored roasted peanuts
• Peanut brittle
• Peanut granola bars
• Trail mix with peanuts
• Peanut cookies
• Dry peanut seasoning blends

Georgia is a significant honey-producing state, with a favorable climate for both commercial apiaries and small-scale beekeeping. The GDA's Apiary Program regulates beekeeping and honey production, which operates under a separate regulatory framework from cottage food.

Raw honey sold directly by the beekeeper is generally regulated differently from packaged honey sold by non-producers. If you are the beekeeper who harvested the honey, your sales may fall under Georgia's agricultural direct-sales provisions rather than cottage food law. If you are purchasing honey from a producer and using it as an ingredient or repackaging it, cottage food rules apply differently.

• Honey-infused vinegar (cottage food approved)
• Baked goods with honey as ingredient
• Honey granola and trail mix
• Dry honey powder in mixes
• Honey-based candy (shelf-stable)

The muscadine grape is native to the Southeastern United States and has been part of Georgia's agricultural landscape for centuries. Unlike European wine grapes, muscadines thrive in Georgia's humid climate and produce thick-skinned fruit with a distinctive, intensely flavored juice. Muscadine jelly and preserves are a beloved regional product that translates naturally into cottage food.

Georgia peaches — harvested primarily May through August — are among the most identifiable state agricultural products in the country, despite California now producing more volume. The Elberta peach variety, developed in Macon County in the 1870s, established Georgia's peach identity. For cottage food sellers, Georgia peach season is a high-value window for producing peach jam, peach jelly, and peach-flavored baked goods.

• Muscadine jelly
• Muscadine jam and preserves
• Georgia peach jam
• Georgia peach jelly
• Peach-flavored baked goods (shelf-stable)
• Muscadine-infused vinegar

Online sales of cottage food products are permitted in Georgia for Georgia residents. You may take orders through your own website, a storefront on a platform, or social media — as long as you are selling to buyers within Georgia and fulfilling the orders yourself.

Interstate shipping — mailing or shipping your cottage food products to buyers in other states — is the critical boundary. The HB 398 bill text explicitly states that nothing in Georgia's law exempts sellers from applicable federal law, including federal laws governing interstate commerce. Selling food across state lines subjects you to FDA oversight, which requires a Manufactured Food Establishment License that cannot be issued for products made in a home kitchen.

• Online orders to Georgia buyers
• Mail delivery within Georgia
• Curbside and local delivery
• Pickup orders placed online
• SellFood.com marketplace listings

• Shipping to buyers in other states (triggers federal FDA oversight)
• Selling on national platforms that ship interstate without restriction