Examples: "Strawberry Jam" · "Hot Sauce" · "Lemon Pound Cake" · "Mixed Berry Preserves"
Every product you sell as a Pennsylvania LFE seller must be properly labeled before it leaves your kitchen. Your PDA inspector reviews labels during your home inspection — and buyers, markets, and wholesalers all expect compliant packaging. Here's every required field.
✅ Pennsylvania does not have a single, word-for-word required disclaimer statement like some other states' cottage food programs. Instead, LFE sellers follow the standard food labeling requirements under Pennsylvania's Food Safety Act and applicable federal FDA labeling rules. The core requirements are: product name, business name and address, ingredients in descending order by weight, major allergens, and net quantity. Some products have additional requirements — particularly acidified foods and those shipped interstate.
⚠️ Labels are reviewed at inspection and on an ongoing basis. Your draft product labels must be included in your LFE application packet. During your home inspection, the PDA food sanitarian will review your labels and discuss any corrections needed. Labels that don't comply with state and federal requirements must be corrected before you begin selling.
These six fields are required on every product label for Pennsylvania Limited Food Establishment sellers. No exceptions — all must be present and legible before the product is sold.
ℹ️ Legibility matters. Pennsylvania's LFE regulations require labels to be legible — readable by the consumer under normal purchase and use conditions. There is no specific minimum font size mandated in the LFE program for most fields, but federal FDA rules require ingredient and allergen text to be at least 1/16 inch (1.6mm) in height for most products. When in doubt, err larger — your inspector will flag illegible text.
This sample label shows all required elements for a typical Pennsylvania LFE product — a strawberry jam. Every numbered field corresponds to a required element.
📋 Note on the "not inspected" disclaimer: Some third-party sources suggest Pennsylvania LFE labels should include a disclaimer stating the food was "prepared in a kitchen not subject to state inspection." This language is commonly found in other states' cottage food programs. Pennsylvania's LFE program requires a home inspection before registration, so this disclaimer does not accurately apply to registered LFE sellers. Your PDA food sanitarian will advise you on any specific label language they require during your inspection. [VERIFY with PDA at RA-FoodSafety@pa.gov whether any kitchen disclaimer is required for LFE labels]
Under the federal Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the FASTER Act (effective January 1, 2023), there are 9 major food allergens that must be declared on food labels whenever they are present as an ingredient or in a sub-ingredient. Pennsylvania LFE sellers follow these federal rules.
These allergens must be declared every time they appear — even in small amounts from a flavoring, spice blend, or processing aid. There is no threshold below which declaration is optional.
⚠️ Shared kitchen / cross-contact advisory statements: If you produce multiple products in the same kitchen and some contain allergens that others don't, you may wish to add a voluntary advisory statement such as "Made in a facility that also processes tree nuts." These advisory statements are voluntary for home food sellers — they are not required by Pennsylvania's LFE program — but they are strongly recommended as a customer safety and liability protection measure. Never include an advisory statement that is false or misleading.
Net quantity (net weight or net volume) is one of the most frequently mis-labeled elements on home food products. Here's how to get it right for every product type.
| Product Type | Measurement Used | Format Required | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid food (cookies, candy, granola) | Weight | US + metric | NET WT 6 oz (170 g) |
| Liquid / pourable (hot sauce, syrup, vinegar) | Volume | US + metric | NET 5 fl oz (148 mL) |
| Semi-solid / viscous (jam, salsa, nut butter) | Weight | US + metric | NET WT 8 oz (227 g) |
| Mixed solid/liquid (pickles in brine) | Weight or volume (weight preferred) | US + metric | NET WT 12 oz (340 g) |
| Dry mixes & spice blends | Weight | US + metric | NET WT 2 oz (57 g) |
| Individual baked goods sold by unit | Count (if sold individually) | Count only | 1 Loaf · 12 Cookies · 1 Pie |
| Beverage (kombucha, juice, switchel) | Volume | US + metric | NET 16 fl oz (473 mL) |
ℹ️ Where net weight goes on the label: Net weight must appear in the lower 30% (bottom third) of the principal display panel — the front face of the package or the most prominent face when it's displayed for sale. It must be in a type size that's easy to read. For packages with 5 sq inches or less of display area, net weight can appear anywhere on the label.
If you produce jams, jellies, salsa, hot sauce, pickles, chutneys, fermented foods, kombucha, or any other acidified product, Pennsylvania requires you to maintain a production batch log in addition to standard labeling. This log is not printed on your label — it is a production record kept by you for PDA inspection and review.
📋 Monitoring frequency: If your acidified product has a final pH at or above 4.0, check and log the pH of every batch. If consistently below 4.0, check and log at least four times per year. If your product tests above pH 4.4, stop production and contact PDA — Process Authority approval is required before you can produce or sell that product.
Your batch log must include at minimum: production date, batch/lot number, product name, pH reading, and any corrective action taken if the pH was out of range.
This log is a production record, not a label element. Keep it on file and make it available for PDA inspection. A simple spreadsheet or notebook works — no specific format is mandated beyond the required data fields.
Full FDA-format Nutrition Facts panels are not required for most small Pennsylvania LFE sellers under normal selling conditions. However, there are specific situations where they become required — and understanding the rules protects you.
ℹ️ Pro tip for growing sellers: Even if not required, adding a Nutrition Facts panel early signals professionalism and makes it easier to expand into retail stores or online wholesale accounts later. Several free tools can generate FDA-compliant Nutrition Facts panels from your recipes — Penn State Extension's food safety team can point you to approved resources.
Pennsylvania's LFE program explicitly allows interstate shipping — a rare permission that opens your business to buyers across the country. However, when you ship to other states, federal labeling rules apply more strictly, and the destination state's cottage food or food labeling rules may also apply to your product. The key additional requirements for interstate shipments:
These are the most common labeling errors that PDA inspectors flag and that cause labels to be rejected. Review your labels against each one before your inspection.
Build compliant food labels for your Pennsylvania LFE products. All required fields are pre-structured, allergen declarations are built in, and net weight calculates automatically. Download as a print-ready PNG — free with your SellFood account.
Open Label Creator →A compliant label is the foundation of a professional home food business. Create your free SellFood account and use the Label Creator to build print-ready labels for every product.
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