Vermont cottage food laws
Rules change, so always confirm with the official Vermont source.
The law: Vermont Act 42 (2025) cottage food exemption and Manufactured Food Rule effective January 15, 2026.
What you can sell
Shelf-stable baked goods, candy, jams/jellies, dry herbs, granola, nuts, popcorn, coffee/tea and other non-temperature-controlled cottage foods qualify. Certain home-canned produce qualifies with approved recipes and pH 4.6 or below or water activity 0.85 or below.
What you can't sell
Refrigerated or temperature-controlled foods such as cheesecake, quiche and cheese danish do not qualify for the cottage exemption.
Do you need a license or permit?
Complete approved training before production and annually thereafter, and file the annual Health Department exemption by January 15. No food-manufacturing license or exemption operating fee is required, but sanitation requirements and possible inspections still apply.
Sales limits
Cottage-food gross annual sales must be $30,000 or less; the old $6,500 home-bakery exemption is outdated.
Where you can sell
Exempt foods cannot be sold to restaurants or other licensed food establishments. The reviewed official materials did not establish specific online-order, carrier-shipping or interstate-sale permissions; confirm these before using them.
Label requirements
Include operation name/address, product name, descending-weight ingredients, net weight/volume and federal allergen information, plus “Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.” in contrasting color and at least 10-point type. Nutrition labeling is required when nutritional information or nutrient/health claims are supplied; unpackaged/bulk foods may display required information on a visible sign.
Good to know
Production may occur in the dwelling’s home kitchen or another kitchen on the operator’s personal property. Private well water must be tested annually, and local zoning and business/tax requirements still matter. Some details on this page could not be fully confirmed from official sources, so check with the state agency before you sell.
Pricing your products
Knowing your real cost per item matters as much as following the law.
Try Oven Elf free →Source: https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/document/reg-manufactured-food.pdf
General summary, not legal advice.
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