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Virginia cottage food label rules

What has to be on the label when you sell homemade baked goods in Virginia, and the limits that matter at a market. Checked September 2026.

Another state Confirmed in official sources

Your label must include

Required statement

“NOT FOR RESALE PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION”

The label goes on the principal display panel (front). If the package is too small for a label, a sign at the point of sale with the same information may be used. The statute prints the statement without punctuation; VDACS’s FAQ shows it as ‘NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION’. All capitals as written; no minimum font size specified.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, VA 00000

(305) 555-0188 · hello@sunnycrumb.co

Baked on 10/03/2026

Net wt. 4 oz (113 g) · 2 cookies

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, toffee bits (sugar, butter, almonds, soy lecithin), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt.

NOT FOR RESALE PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION

Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Key limits in Virginia

Permit: None: no registration, permit or fee for non-time/temperature-controlled foods such as baked goods.
Training: none
Sales cap: none
Where you can sell: Direct to individuals in Virginia for their own consumption at any location (home, farmers markets, events, etc.); no resale, consignment, wholesale, or sale for use in retail food establishments.
Online & shipping: Since HB 402 (2026): internet and phone sales allowed, with delivery in person, by mail or by delivery service, to individuals in Virginia only; no out-of-state sales.
Law: Private home food processing exemption, Va. Code § 3.2-5130(C)(3), most recently amended by 2026 Acts ch. 605 (HB 402)

What we could not confirm (2)

Exact effective date of HB 402 not confirmed in the text fetched (assumed July 1, 2026 standard date)
Allergen declaration is not listed separately by VDACS; it follows from the ‘standard labeling’ / ingredient requirement (federal FALCPA) but is not spelled out

Check with: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Food Safety Program

Last change to the law: 2026 (HB 402, Acts ch. 605; Virginia’s standard effective date of July 1, 2026; VDACS FAQ revised July 2026)

Sources

Made by BakerBacker

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

BakerBacker builds your Virginia label from each recipe: ingredients in order, allergens and the required statement. Change a recipe and every label updates. It also prices your cookies, takes pre-orders and writes the week’s posts.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Food Safety Program before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Virginia cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

Other states