← All states
Cottage food laws · IL
Selling homemade food in Illinois
Illinois removed its sales cap in 2022 via the Home-to-Market Act, so registered cottage food operators can sell shelf-stable homemade goods direct to consumers with no dollar limit. Register annually with your local health department, take a food safety course, and follow extra pH/food-safety-plan rules for acidified or fermented products. Sales must stay direct-to-consumer and within Illinois — no wholesale, retail, or interstate shipping.
Program
Illinois Cottage Food Law (Home-to-Market Act)
Registration
Register annually with your local health department (registration fee capped at $50 by law) and complete a Certified Food Protection Manager course; acidified/fermented products additionally require a written food safety plan and a representative pH test on file
Annual sales cap
No statewide sales cap — the prior cap was removed by the Home-to-Market Act (Public Act 102-0633), effective January 1, 2022
Online sales
Allowed (see notes)
You can sell
- Baked goods without cream/custard fillings
- Jams, jellies, preserves
- Candy & chocolate
- Dry mixes & granola
- Popcorn & honey
- Acidified/fermented foods (brined vegetables, salsas, hot sauces) with an approved food safety plan and pH at or below 4.6 on file
You can't sell
- Meat, poultry, fish, seafood & shellfish
- Dairy products (except as a minor ingredient in a non-potentially-hazardous baked good, candy, or frosting)
- Potentially hazardous/perishable foods requiring refrigeration
- Home-canned low-acid vegetables without an approved process
Where you can sell
- Direct in-person sales from home
- Farmers markets & festivals
- Pickup from the operator's home/farm or a consenting third-party location
Selling online
Online ordering and shipping are allowed only within Illinois for non-perishable, tamper-evident packaged products; sales cannot cross state lines, and cottage food products may not be sold wholesale or through retail stores/restaurants
What your labels must include
- Business name & the county/municipality of registration
- Local health department registration number
- Common product name
- Full ingredient list in descending order by weight
- Allergen declaration ("Contains:" statement or within the ingredient list)
- Net weight
- Processing/preparation date
- "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department." statement