Every Rhode Island cottage food label must include six specific elements — and RIDOH reviews every label before approving your registration. Here's exactly what goes on every package you sell.
Labeling is not optional in Rhode Island — it's a registration requirement. When you apply for your cottage food registration, you must submit a label for every product you intend to sell. RIDOH reviews those labels as part of the approval process and can require you to revise them before your registration is issued. If you add a new product after registration, you must notify RIDOH with updated labels before selling that product.
The good news: Rhode Island's required label elements are clear and specific. Follow this guide exactly and your labels will be compliant from day one.
The name of your cottage food operation must appear on every label. This can be your legal name (e.g., "Jane Smith") or the business name under which you are registered. If you operate under a business name different from your legal name, that name must be registered as a DBA (fictitious business name) with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
Example: "Ocean State Bakes" or "Jane Smith Home Bakery"Your home address or a P.O. Box must appear on every label. Unlike many other states, Rhode Island permits a P.O. Box as your label address — you don't have to print your home street address if privacy is a concern. Either way, the address must match what is on file with RIDOH in your registration.
Example: "P.O. Box 482, Narragansett, RI 02882" or "14 Bay View Rd., South Kingstown, RI 02879"A contact phone number is required on every Rhode Island cottage food label. This is a notable difference from most other states — Rhode Island explicitly requires a phone number, not just a name and address. Use a number where buyers can actually reach you with questions or concerns. A Google Voice number is perfectly acceptable if you'd prefer not to list your personal cell.
Example: "(401) 555-0182"All ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight or volume — the ingredient present in the greatest amount goes first, the least goes last. This is the same standard the FDA uses for commercial food labels. Sub-ingredients (components of a compound ingredient) must be declared in parentheses immediately after the compound ingredient. Use common names for ingredients — no scientific names or internal codes.
Example: "Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract (vanilla bean extract, alcohol, sugar), baking soda, salt"All nine major food allergens must be declared if present in your product or if there is a risk of cross-contact in your kitchen. Rhode Island follows the FDA's allergen labeling standard, which was updated in 2023 to add sesame as the ninth major allergen. Allergens can be declared in two ways: (1) within the ingredient list using common names, or (2) in a separate "Contains:" statement immediately following the ingredient list. The "Contains:" format is clearer and strongly preferred.
Example: "Contains: Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Soy" — or list allergens in bold within the ingredient listEvery label must include the exact required disclaimer statement in at least 10-point type. This is the single most important label requirement specific to Rhode Island cottage food sellers. The statement must appear verbatim — do not paraphrase or abbreviate it. See the full text in the disclaimer block below.
Must appear in minimum 10-point font. No specific placement required — but it must be visible on the label.If you use a licensed commercial kitchen to produce your products (rather than your home kitchen), you are not required to include the cottage food disclaimer statement on your label. However, you must maintain written records of every date you used the commercial kitchen, and those records must be available for RIDOH inspection. This exception applies only to sellers who are fully producing in a licensed facility — if any production happens at home, the disclaimer is required.
The example below shows a compliant Rhode Island cottage food label for chocolate chip cookies. All six required elements are present. Use this as a reference when building your own labels.
Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection
The FDA recognizes nine major food allergens that account for the vast majority of serious allergic reactions. If any of these appear in your product — or if your kitchen handles any of them in ways that could cause cross-contact — you must declare them clearly on your label. Rhode Island follows this federal standard.
Includes spelt, kamut, farro, durum
Butter, cream, cheese, whey, casein
Whole eggs, egg whites, egg yolks
Soy lecithin, soybean oil, tofu, miso
Peanut butter, peanut oil, peanut flour
Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, etc.
Salmon, tuna, cod, anchovies, etc.
Shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish, etc.
Added as 9th allergen by FDA in 2023
Even if an allergen is not an ingredient in your recipe, you should consider adding a cross-contact statement if you work with that allergen in your kitchen. For example: "May contain traces of peanuts — made in a facility that also processes peanuts." This is not required by Rhode Island law but is strongly recommended as a best practice and will build trust with buyers who have serious allergies. Many cottage food sellers include this voluntarily. RIDOH will not penalize you for including it.
Rhode Island requires that your labels accurately reflect your current recipe at all times. If you change an ingredient — swap one type of flour for another, switch butter brands, add a new spice — your label must be updated before you sell that batch. If the change affects allergens, you must notify RIDOH. Selling a product with a label that doesn't match the actual recipe is a compliance violation and can result in your registration being revoked.
Rhode Island specifies only one font size minimum in statute: the required cottage food disclaimer statement must appear in at least 10-point type. No minimum font size is specified for other label elements, but all information must be legible. A practical guideline: use at least 7–8pt for ingredient lists and at least 9–10pt for all other required elements.
Rhode Island does not specify a required placement for label elements — they can be arranged as you choose across the label surface. However, the disclaimer statement, allergen declaration, and ingredient list should all appear on the same panel or be clearly visible without having to unfold or remove the label. Readability matters — if a buyer can't find the allergen statement, that's a problem regardless of compliance.
You don't need professional printing to create compliant labels. Many Rhode Island cottage food sellers use Avery label templates in Word or Canva, printed on a home inkjet or laser printer on water-resistant label stock. For bakery items that may sweat or get greasy, waterproof label paper prevents smudging. Submit printed labels (not handwritten) with your RIDOH registration — photographed or printed samples on standard paper are generally acceptable for the application, but confirm with RIDOH. Once registered, labels on your actual products must be legible and durable enough to remain intact through normal handling by the buyer.
When you submit your cottage food registration application, RIDOH's Center for Food Protection reviews every label you include. They are looking for the six required elements — business name, address, phone number, ingredient list, allergen declaration, and the disclaimer statement. If any element is missing or the disclaimer is not worded exactly as required, RIDOH will contact you to request a revised label before your registration is approved.
This is not a punitive process — it is a review designed to help you get it right before you sell. Think of it as a free label check that protects you and your buyers. If you have questions about whether a specific label meets requirements before you submit, call RIDOH's Center for Food Protection at (401) 222-2749 — they can provide guidance on label requirements.
After registration, RIDOH can inspect your operation and check that products being sold match the labels that were approved. Keep your labels updated and notify RIDOH whenever you add a new product or significantly change a recipe.
Create compliant Rhode Island cottage food labels with the required disclaimer pre-filled, allergen fields built in, and ingredient list formatting that meets RIDOH standards. Free with your SellFood account.
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