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Cottage food laws · LA
Selling homemade food in Louisiana
Louisiana's cottage food rules are an exemption, not a permit program: R.S. 40:4.9 lets you sell low-risk homemade foods directly to consumers without a state license, as long as you stay under the $30,000 gross sales cap (bread, cakes, cookies, and pies are uncapped). You'll still need sales-tax certificates, and it's worth checking with your parish health unit about any local notification expectations.
Program
Louisiana Low-Risk Foods Law
Registration
No state cottage food permit, license, or registration is required under the R.S. 40:4.9 exemption; producers must still obtain a state and parish sales-tax certificate, and some parish health units request notification of home-based food sales — confirm locally
Annual sales cap
$30,000 gross annual sales for most cottage foods; breads, cakes, cookies, and pies are exempt from the cap (no statutory limit) as long as they're sold direct-to-consumer without hired help
Online sales
Allowed (see notes)
You can sell
- Baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, pies)
- Candy & cane syrup
- Jams, jellies, preserves
- Dry mixes & granola
- Honey & honeycomb products
- Pickles & other acidified foods
You can't sell
- Potentially hazardous/perishable foods
- Meat & poultry products
- Dairy-based products
- Low-acid canned vegetables
Where you can sell
- Direct in-person sales from home
- Farmers markets
- Roadside stands
Selling online
Online ordering allowed with in-state delivery/pickup; no shipping across state lines
What your labels must include
- Business name & address
- Ingredient list
- Allergen declaration
- Net weight
- Statement that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility