Every cottage food product sold in Maryland must carry a compliant label before it leaves your kitchen. Here are all required elements — with the exact disclaimer wording, allergen rules, net weight format, and what additional fields retail store sales require.
Maryland's labeling requirements come from MD Health-Gen. § 21-330.1 and COMAR 10.15.03.27. All products must be fully labeled and pre-packaged before the point of sale — labeling on-site at a market is not permitted.
Federal allergen labeling requirements under FALCPA and the FASTER Act apply to all Maryland cottage food products. As of January 1, 2023, sesame was added as the ninth major allergen. If your product contains any of these, you must declare it on the label.
Cross-Contact Warning: If your home kitchen also processes products containing allergens not present in the product you're labeling — for example, you also make peanut butter cookies and your brownies don't contain peanuts — consider adding a voluntary "May contain peanuts" or "Made in a facility that also processes peanuts" advisory. This is not required but is strongly recommended as a consumer safety measure and liability protection.
The net weight statement is required on every label and has specific placement and format rules. Get these right — they're one of the most commonly cited issues in label reviews.
| Product Type | Correct Format | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies (6 oz batch) | Net Wt 6 oz (170 g) | Weight of cookies only — not packaging |
| Jam (8 oz jar) | Net Wt 8 oz (227 g) | Content weight, not the jar |
| Granola (1 lb bag) | Net Wt 1 lb (454 g) | Pound format acceptable when > 1 lb |
| Hard candy (3 oz bag) | Net Wt 3 oz (85 g) | Standard oz/gram format |
| Loose-leaf tea (2 oz tin) | Net Wt 2 oz (56 g) | Dry weight of tea blend, not tin |
| Whole cake (by count) | Net Wt 24 oz (680 g) | Weigh the finished cake to determine weight |
Placement Rule for Net Weight: The net weight statement must appear in the bottom 30% of the principal display panel — the front of your package that a consumer normally sees first. It must run parallel to the bottom of the package. Don't bury it in fine print at the top or back of the label.
If you receive MDH approval to sell your cottage food products to retail stores (grocery stores, food co-ops, convenience stores, retail bakeries), your labels must include three additional fields beyond the standard requirements. These extra fields apply only to products sold to retail — not to direct-to-consumer or farmers market sales.
Practical Tip: Many cottage food sellers keep two label versions — one for direct sales (7 required elements) and one for retail store sales (those 7 plus phone, email, and date made). Alternatively, you can use one label that always includes all 10 elements, which simplifies your process if you sell through multiple channels.
Create compliant Maryland cottage food labels with the required disclaimer pre-filled, the correct allergen format, and all required fields built in. Free with your SellFood account.
Create Free Account to Use the Label Creator →MDH can deem improperly labeled cottage food as "misbranded" — which can trigger an investigation. Here are the most frequent errors to avoid.
Get your labels right and list your Maryland cottage food products on SellFood.com. Our Label Creator tool pre-fills the required disclaimer and guides you through every required field — free with your account.