Cottage Food Law /US
A structured reference to state cottage food rules

Guide · Selling from home

Can I sell jams & jellies from home in Missouri?

Informational only, not legal advice.

Yes, with limits — Missouri allows some jams & jellies but prohibits others.

"With limits" means Missouri's allowed list and its prohibited list both name jams & jellies items. Check which list your product is on.

What Missouri's food lists say about jams & jellies

On the allowed list

  • Canned jams or jellies

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsec. 1 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

On the prohibited list

  • "No Sugar Added," "Sugar Free," and hot pepper jams and jellies

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How Missouri reads its lists

DHSS: the Cottage Law "is very specific that baked goods, canned jams or jellies, and dried herb and dried herb mixes are the only items that can be prepared out of the individuals' home." A food that is potentially hazardous is no longer a cottage food product. A separate Missouri Food Code exemption, only where local codes allow, covers individual stands selling other non-potentially hazardous foods (see caveats).

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsec. 1 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

DHSS's list of foods that cannot be sold under the Missouri Cottage Law ends "And more…." Meringue and cream pies, pet foods, marijuana-infused products, and artificially sweetened jams come from DHSS's Q&A: jams and jellies made with artificial sweeteners must be tested for pH and water activity, and the producer must contact their local public health agency.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Other Missouri rules that name jams & jellies

No permit, license, or registration. A cottage food production operation is an individual operating out of their home (a primary residence with a kitchen and appliances designed for common residential use) who makes baked goods, canned jams or jellies, or dried herbs or herb mixes and sells them only directly to consumers. Products must carry the required label. Only the person who prepared the food, or a household member with extensive knowledge of it, may sell it.

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsec. 1 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Selling jams & jellies in Missouri: permit, cost, and where to sell

Do I need a permit to sell jams & jellies from home in Missouri?

Missouri does not require a state-issued permit for cottage food.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

The program is run by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Bureau of Environmental Health Services.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How much does a Missouri cottage food license cost?

Missouri does not charge a state cottage food license fee.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Missouri?

Missouri sets no overall annual sales cap for cottage food.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Where can I sell jams & jellies in Missouri?

In person: Yes; farmers markets: Not addressed; online orders within Missouri: Yes; shipping to other states: No; delivery within Missouri: Not addressed; sales to stores or for resale: No.

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsecs. 1 and 5 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Sales must be made only directly to consumers. Internet sales are allowed only when both the operation and the purchaser are in Missouri (§ 196.298(5)); DHSS: "A cottage food producer may not sell their products across state lines." Wholesale takes a product out of the Cottage Law. The statute defines the operation as producing food "for sale at the individual's home"; neither source addresses farmers markets or delivery. Asked about selling cottage foods from a mobile establishment, DHSS points to the Food Code individual-stand exemption, available only if local laws allow.

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsecs. 1 and 5 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Do I need training or a kitchen inspection in Missouri?

Missouri does not require food safety training.

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsec. 2 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Missouri does not require a home kitchen inspection.

Source: Missouri DHSS — Missouri Home-Based Kitchen Food Production Guidance (Aug. 2023) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Labeling jams & jellies in Missouri

Missouri's cited labeling rules list 6 requirements. The full list is in the Missouri labeling guide.

Source: RSMo § 196.298 (Missouri Cottage Law), as amended by 2022 H.B. 1697, subsec. 4 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Other foods in Missouri