Louisiana cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Louisiana
Louisiana cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Louisiana's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers with no statewide sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Louisiana's rules. CottageOps configures the Louisiana label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Louisiana's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- No statewide sales cap — Louisiana doesn't set an annual revenue ceiling on cottage food sales.
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Louisiana's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods — refrigerated (TCS) items aren't allowed under the exemption.
- Where you can sell
- Direct to Louisiana consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Louisiana
Every Louisiana cottage food label must carry the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight, a “Contains” allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, your name and address as the producer, and the Louisiana-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility.
Before you sell in Louisiana
Louisiana doesn't require a permit to start.
Louisiana lets cottage food bakers start selling without a state permit or inspection — set up your storefront, add your menu, and you can begin taking orders.
Full Louisiana cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Louisiana's primary statute, the agency that enforces it, the revenue cap, what foods are allowed, refrigerated-food (TCS) rules, labeling notes, and the watch-outs to know before you sell.
- Primary statute
- La. Rev. Stat. §40:4.9 (Louisiana low-risk foods / cottage food) (Louisiana Cottage Food law)
- Enforcing agency
- Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Food & Drug Unit
- Revenue cap
- No flat cap stored — baked goods are described as uncapped (a $30,000 figure's applicability is unconfirmed; the engine stores no cap, which is safer than a wrong ring).
- Allowed foods
- Low-risk (shelf-stable) foods under R.S. 40:4.9 — baked goods included; no animal/fish protein (shelf-stable only).
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Shelf-stable only (low-risk-foods regime — no animal/fish protein). The engine refuses TCS labels for LA.
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer only (no resale); intrastate only. A parish sales-tax certificate is a tax obligation, not a label field.
- Labeling notes
- R.S. 40:4.9 mandates a CONCEPT, not a quoted string ("a label which clearly indicates that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility"). CottageOps renders the operative clause: "This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility." at ≥10pt.
- Watch-outs
- Disclosure is concept-mandated, not verbatim — an LDH preferred-wording eyeball is worth doing (non-blocking).
- Direct-to-consumer + intrastate only.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Louisiana?
Make a free Louisiana label in seconds, then claim your free CottageOps storefront. Free in 2026 — no card required. $19/mo in 2027, no transaction fees.
Louisiana cottage food FAQ
What must a Louisiana cottage food label include?
A compliant Louisiana cottage food label needs the product name, the ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight (oz and/or grams), the "Contains" allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, the producer's name and address, and the Louisiana-required legal disclosure. Our free generator fills in the disclosure for you and lays out the rest automatically as you type.
What is the required cottage food disclosure in Louisiana?
Louisiana requires this exact disclosure on the label: "This food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility." You never type it — the generator applies the current Louisiana disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Louisiana?
No — Louisiana's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods, so TCS items that need refrigeration are not allowed under the cottage food exemption. If you toggle "Contains a TCS item" the generator will flag that Louisiana doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Louisiana cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Louisiana-compliant label is free with no account. CottageOps is free through 2026 — no credit card — and when you're ready to download or print the full-resolution label you just claim your free CottageOps account. In 2027 it's a flat $19/mo (or $190/yr).
More for Louisiana bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Louisiana storefront, the Louisiana label disclosure configured for you, and sales tracking — built in from day one. Cancel anytime; the most-recent month is refundable.
Start freeThis is general information, not legal advice — confirm with your Louisiana cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.