Every cottage food product in Vermont needs a label that does seven specific things. Get them right once and you can apply the same template to your whole product line.
Vermont's labeling rules come from two places: VDH's Manufactured Food Rule and federal FDA packaging regulations. The seven elements below satisfy both.
The common or usual name of the food. Use language a buyer would recognize — not a proprietary-only name. If your product name is purely branded, add a descriptor.
Example: "Maple Hollow Chocolate Chip Cookies"Your business name (or personal name if operating as a sole prop) and the physical address of your home kitchen. P.O. boxes are not acceptable — the label must carry a real street address so inspectors and consumers can locate the producer if needed.
Example: "Made by Jane Smith · 14 Maple Ridge Rd, Montpelier, VT 05602"The net contents of the package — the weight (for solids) or volume (for liquids) of the product, not including the container. Show it in both US customary units and metric.
Example: "Net Wt. 8 oz (227 g)" or "Net 12 fl oz (355 mL)"All ingredients, in descending order of predominance by weight. Start with the ingredient you use the most of, end with the one you use the least. Use plain common names, not technical jargon. Compound ingredients (like chocolate chips) get their sub-ingredients listed in parentheses.
Ex: "Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron…), butter (cream, salt), sugar, eggs…"The nine major food allergens, if present, must be identified by the specific food source — either in parentheses within the ingredient list or in a "Contains:" statement directly below it. Both formats satisfy federal and Vermont requirements. (Full allergen details two sections below.)
Example: "Contains: Wheat, Milk, Soy, Eggs"The exact statement "Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health" must appear on every product label. Minimum 10-point font, in a contrasting color to the label background. (Full disclaimer rules in the next section.)
Most home-based operators qualify for the FDA's small business nutrition labeling exemption and do not need a Nutrition Facts panel. You lose the exemption if you make a health or nutrient claim on the label (e.g., "low fat," "high fiber"). If you want to make such claims, a Nutrition Facts panel is required and needs lab-verified values.
"Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health"
This statement is non-negotiable. It must appear on every product you sell under the cottage food exemption, word-for-word as shown. Paraphrasing doesn't count — "not inspected by a state health department" or "homemade, uninspected" will fail an inspection or complaint review. Use the exact sentence above.
Federal law and Vermont's Manufactured Food Rule both require that nine specific allergens be clearly identified on packaged food labels. Sesame was added as the ninth major allergen in 2023 under the FASTER Act.
Pick one format and use it consistently across your product line. Both are equally compliant.
Here's what a compliant label looks like with every required element in place. Your packaging can be more decorative — this shows just the regulatory information laid out plainly.
The net contents statement tells your buyer exactly how much product is in the package — not including the container. Vermont and federal rules both require dual declaration (US customary and metric).
Honey is a classic edge case — it's fluid but traditionally sold by weight, not volume. Jam works the same way. For these products, use net weight (in ounces and grams), not volume. For syrups, vinegars, shrubs, and beverages, use net volume (in fluid ounces and milliliters).
Vermont specifies one hard font size minimum — the disclaimer at 10-point — and FDA guidance governs the rest. As a rule of thumb: if a buyer has to squint, the type is too small.
Vermont requirement. Absolute minimum — legibly printed at 10-point or larger, in a contrasting color.
FDA rule: lower-case letters at least 1/16 inch tall on packages up to 5 sq in total label area; larger for bigger packages.
Same minimum as net weight. Use clear sans-serif fonts and adequate line spacing for long ingredient lists.
No specific minimum — but must be legible and prominent. This is typically the largest type on the label.
Beyond the minimums, a good cottage food label follows a few simple rules: use a sans-serif font for regulatory text (Helvetica, Arial, DM Sans, Open Sans), keep line height at 1.3× or more for ingredient lists, avoid metallic inks for any required element, and test-print a sample at actual size before committing to a full run. Your printer's proof looks different in hand than on screen.
Build a Vermont-compliant label in minutes. The required home-kitchen disclaimer is pre-filled, the allergen declaration auto-generates from your ingredient list, and every element meets the 10-point minimum. Export a print-ready PNG or PDF and you're done.
Open the Label Creator →SellFood gives you a storefront, a compliant label maker with Vermont's disclaimer pre-filled, order management, and built-in payments — everything you need to turn your kitchen into a business.
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