Cottage Food: What Is It?

Hear the words “cottage food” and what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s convincing your grandmother to sell her famous cookies, buying pickles and jam from a neighbor at the local farmers market, or ordering those holiday tamales your coworker’s mom makes every year. If those are the images that pop into your head, you’re both right and wrong.  Cottage food products are strictly defined by individual state laws.

Normally, food items sold at restaurants, grocery stores, and retail markets must be prepared in a licensed commercial kitchen. These facilities adhere to strict federal, state, and local food safety laws and undergo regular inspections by local health departments.

Cottage food laws, however, offer a unique legal exemption. They allow individuals to prepare specific foods right in their home kitchens without purchasing expensive commercial equipment, leasing a separate building, or undergoing routine health inspections. This pathway significantly lowers startup costs, allowing local food entrepreneurs to test the waters of business ownership.

Between 2013 and 2018, only eight states had formal cottage food legislation. Today, all 50 states have established home kitchen or cottage food programs.

The Evolution of Arizona’s Cottage Food Law
Arizona originally passed its Cottage Food Law in 2011, allowing residents to sell non-potentially hazardous baked goods and confections made at home. In 2018, the state expanded the program to include fruit jams, jellies, and certain dry mixes, all shelf-stable items that do not require refrigeration.

While many other states continued to broaden their regulations over the years, Arizona’s law remained largely unchanged until 2024. That year, major legislative updates expanded the program significantly. Arizona now permits a much wider array of home-prepared foods, including items that require strict hot or cold temperature control, such as cheesecakes, tamales, and certain meat products. The new law also expanded where these home-prepared items can be sold across retail outlets.

Unlike commercial kitchens, which are regulated and inspected by county health departments, the Arizona Cottage Food Program is administered centrally by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).

To participate, producers must register with ADHS and prepare only approved foods. They are required to obtain a food handler card and label all finished products. Each label must list the production date, registered handler name, registration number, a full list of ingredients, the ADHS website, and a specific consumer disclosure: “This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.” The ADHS website is the best source of information about the program and how to participate

A few high-risk items remain strictly off-limits, including fish, shellfish, raw milk, alcoholic beverages, and marijuana-infused products.

Balancing Economic Opportunity and Food Safety
While this expansion opens exciting doors for microenterprises, it has also raised valid concerns among public health experts. Arizona’s cottage food program requires operators to obtain a food handler card and meet state registration and labeling requirements. However, because the program now permits high-risk, temperature-sensitive items like meats and dairy, health officials emphasize that additional education is key to helping producers apply food safety principles in a home kitchen.

Expanding approved products to include perishable items inherently introduces a higher risk for foodborne illness. Unlike commercial food establishments, home kitchens are not routinely inspected and do not require a certified Food Protection Manager on site. While home producers care deeply about their products and never intend to make customers sick, they don't always have easy access to the specialized safety training required to handle high-risk foods safely at home. Supplemental guidance helps bridge that gap, empowering local entrepreneurs while keeping the community safe.

To bridge this gap, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension partnered with ADHS to develop a targeted training program tailored specifically for cottage food operators. This training translates professional food safety principles into practical, everyday applications for home kitchens while providing the opportunity to take the food handler exam and satisfy the state requirement for an Arizona Food Handler Card.

After a year and a half of curriculum design and pilot testing, this training is officially launching for the public across Yavapai and Mohave Counties.

Interested in turning your home kitchen into a legal microbusiness? Visit our Extension events page or contact your local county Extension office to register for upcoming training sessions and learn how to get started safely.

More information about these and more can be found on our events calendar. https://extension.arizona.edu/local-offices/yavapai-county/calendar