Cottage Food Law

 
 

The New Cottage Food Law

Because of your support, farmers and food entrepreneurs will be able to grow a food business from their home kitchen and more shoppers like you will have access to all the unique, local, and artisan foods that Illinois has to offer.

Last year, Illinois Farm Bureau & Illinois Specialty Growers Association and several partners worked with farmers, bakers, hot-sauce makers, and home-food businesses across the state to pass legislation called the Home-to-Market act, which reformed to cottage food law that improved local food labeling and expanded market opportunities for cottage food producers. This new legislation to improve cottage food laws and open up new sales avenues went into effect in January 2022.

The new cottage food law:

  • Standardizes regulations across the state and prevents counties from making regulations more strict than what is in the law. Now every county will follow the same registration process.

  • Allows you to sell from your home, at fairs and festivals, through delivery and drop off, and even to ship your products within Illinois.

  • Protects public safety by adding a few additional safety provisions, such as water testing for well water and a food safety plan for pickled and fermented foods.

The 2022 Cottage Food Guide is Now Available!

The Illinois Cottage Food Guide will help cottage food producers and local health departments navigate the new legislation. This guide was developed by several partner organizations in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, our members, local health departments, and many organizational partners. Find information about the rule, links to the guide, and more below. Everything you need to know to start or grow your cottage food business is inside

In this guide you will find: 

  • Official guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health on the interpretation and implementation of cottage food law

  • Sample registration forms and ancillary materials

  • A list of labs for product testing

  • Links to "approved" recipes

  • Resources to find a Certified Food Protection Manager course near you

  • Food safety best practices

  • Sample labels

  • FAQs

  • Additional resources to answer all your burning questions

“Illinois has an estimated 500 cottage food businesses, most of them small farms and women-owned businesses. The new regulations will help support these existing small businesses and make it easier for Illinois shoppers to get their hands on the local products they love.”
— Molly Gleason, Illinois Stewardship Alliance and lead organizer for the bill.
“Cottage food production is a vital market for our farms to add value to the farm, extend their seasons, and reduce farm waste. This rule allows farms to safely produce foods from their homes while testing these new market opportunities.”
— Raghela Scavuzzo, Illinois Specialty Growers Association Executive Director.

History of Cottage Food

In 2012, the Cottage Food Law was passed in order to give farmers and food entrepreneurs the opportunity to prepare or lightly process food in their home kitchens for sale at farmer’s markets. Prior to the passage of this law, a commercial kitchen was required, and the availability of renting a commercial kitchen, or expense of purchasing one, was out of reach for most starting food businesses. When the Cottage Food Law passed in 2012, only a limited number of non-hazardous foods (baked goods, jams, and jellies) were allowed. In 2017, a group of Illinois local food stakeholders proposed an amendment, the Food Freedom Act, which drastically increased the number of allowed foods, and importantly, allowed for the processing of vegetables. This gave farmers greater opportunity to add value to their products and preserve vegetables for sale over the winter. The Food Freedom Act flipped the Cottage Food paradigm from a small list of allowed foods, to instead allowing everything except a small list of hazardous foods. In 2021, a new expanded group of Illinois local food Stakeholders advocated for the passage of the Home to Market Act, which broadly expanded sales avenues for Cottage Food Operators from farmers markets and on farm sales to direct customer sales throughout the state. The Home to Market Act clarified acidified and fermented product rules and created rules to allow buttercream frosting.

We establish a powerful common voice to advocate for the industry.

There are over 3,600 established specialty crop farms in Illinois. These farms utilize more than 81,250 acres to produce over $472 million in sales annually within Illinois. The Illinois Specialty Growers Association advocates for regulation and policy at the county, state, and national levels for the industry. Together we are the voice that ensures the success of the industry.

We are allied members of The International Fresh Produce Association

As a specialty crop association member of the International Fresh Produce Association, we help to make ensure the industry’s voice is heard from Capitol Hill to the homes of consumers. This includes a dedicated government relations staff that can help navigate the issues affecting members. We serve as the leadership of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, which works to ensure that the Farm Bill includes resources for the fresh produce industry. ISGA serves on the Government Relations Council, which provides leadership on the association’s legislative and regulatory priorities.