Rules
Louisiana cottage food rules: cap and direct sales
Louisiana cottage food rules cap direct home sales and annual revenue for pantry makers; learn where the exemption ends and commercial licensing begins.
What to take away
- Louisiana cottage food rules cover low-risk, shelf-stable foods made in a home kitchen and sold directly to consumers, with an annual cap of $20,000.
- Zatarain's sells rice and seasoning mixes; Steen's is known for cane syrup; Crystal and Tabasco are Louisiana hot-sauce brands. These commercial products are distinct from a cottage operation.
- Product eligibility depends on the recipe and process; a familiar pantry staple is not automatically exempt.
- Sales through retail, wholesale or out of state move the maker beyond the exemption and into state licensing.
- Confirm current eligibility and registration requirements with LDH before building a plan.
The exemption, the cap and who runs it
Louisiana's cottage food provisions let a person make and sell certain low-risk foods from a home kitchen without a commercial food license. The rules apply statewide, Orleans Parish included. Sales must be direct: at the maker's home, a farmers market or a roadside stand.
The annual cap is $20,000. Cross it and full licensing applies. Check current Louisiana Department of Health guidance for product eligibility and what applies once a maker exceeds the cap.
[figure 1]
Cottage food rules at a glance
- $20,000annual sales cap
- Direct onlyhome, market, roadside
- No onlineno shipping across state lines
- No inspectionfood safety course required
Direct sales only is the limit that catches most makers. A cottage registration does not cover a grocery store, a restaurant or a distributor. It does not cover shipping jars out of state either. Our explainer on how US cottage food laws decide which pantry jars can cross state lines maps where that line falls.
Registration runs through the Louisiana Department of Health. The maker files a registration; no kitchen inspection is required for the lowest-risk items. Confirm current product requirements with LDH before beginning.
Jams, jellies and fruit butters qualify because sugar and fruit acid keep them shelf-stable. The standard behind set and sugar content is in this overview of fruit preserves.
Which Creole staples can be sold as cottage foods
| Product | Cottage food? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Creole mustard | Usually yes | Vinegar and horseradish hold pH under 4.6 |
| Cane syrup | Yes, if bottled hot and sealed | Low water activity, no refrigeration |
| Hot sauce | Only with batch pH records under 4.6 | Peppers are low-acid; the vinegar must do the work |
| Fig preserves, mayhaw jelly | Yes | Fruit acid plus sugar |
| Canned vegetables, meat, dairy | No | Retort, pasteurization or inspection required |
The deciding test is pH and water activity, not the label or the story on the jar. A process authority letter confirms the product is safe at room temperature. Confirm the applicable testing and documentation requirements before selling.
Example: a Creole mustard maker leaving the exemption
- Fix the process first. Mustard is an acidified food, so the recipe needs a scheduled process filed with the FDA or issued by a process authority.
- Get an employer identification number. The IRS issues one free through its EIN application, and you need it for filings and a business bank account.
- Rent a licensed kitchen. Shared commercial kitchens in the Bywater and Central City are possible options; verify that a facility is approved for the product and process.
- Meet the build standardsthree-compartment sink, hand-wash sink, ventilation, washable surfaces and a certified food safety manager.
- Sort the state path. LDH licenses processed foods. LDAF licenses acidified and low-acid canned processors, which covers mustard and hot sauce.
[figure 2]
Licensing a Creole mustard kitchen
- Submit process review to state health department
- Complete hazard analysis
- Pass kitchen inspection
- Install three-compartment and hand-wash sinks
- File scheduled process for pH below 4.6
- Get food safety manager certification
- Obtain an IRS employer identification number
The two paths are not interchangeable. A maker cannot use a cottage registration to sell mustard to a grocery store. Nor can a shared kitchen used for licensed production double as an unregistered cottage operation.
Registration is a separate errand, and the federal small business guide lists the accounts and filings a new food business needs. The step from market stall to shelf is where most small New Orleans brands stall, and our guide to regional foods sold at a farmers market covers the licensing change that comes with it.
Pantry staples that need a commercial license
- Low-acid canned goodsvegetables, soups and meats, which need a pressure retort.
- Dairycheese, butter and yogurt, all requiring pasteurization.
- Meat and poultry items, including jerky, sausage and pâté, made under USDA or state inspection.
- Fermented foods with no documented pH below 4.6, such as kimchi and sauerkraut.
- Cream and custard fillings, which need refrigeration.
- Garlic in oil, which is low-acid and can support botulism growth.
If a market vendor sells canned meat under a cottage food sign, treat it as a red flag. Interstate sales bring a separate regime, explained in our piece on the federal licensing and trust regime behind specialty food trading.
LDH publishes allowed and prohibited food lists. These examples are not a complete list, so check LDH's current guidance to see whether a particular recipe qualifies.
Questions to ask a New Orleans producer
- Ask for the registration or license number. A cottage operation carries an LDH registration. A commercial one carries an LDH processing license, or an LDAF license for acidified and canned goods.
- Ask LDH or LDAF to confirm the license category and current status.
- Match names. The record, the invoice and the label should name the same legal entity.
- Request the most recent inspection report from the producer and ask whether any violations were corrected.
- Ask for the scheduled process letter on any acidified product. It names the pH target and the process authority.
- Check for a certified food safety manager on staff. For anything shipped interstate, confirm an FDA food facility registration.
A stall sign is not a license. Get the number and check the state record before money changes hands.
A provenance check belongs in your file before a shop places a first order, because license status drives both liability and supply consistency.
