We explain what you need to know to label food you make for self-service.

• Self-service foods include cottage foods.
• The label on a food package tells consumers exactly what is inside the package.

In this section

• Keep labels
• Retail food businesses
• Cottage food producers
• Major food allergen labeling requirements

Related

See food allergens

Keep ingredient lists

Businesses should keep the ingredient list from the label of food items purchased in a

• Package
• Bag
• Box
• Can
• Bottle

What to know

Examples

• Packaged buns from a bakery
• Boxed pasta
• Prepared sauces

Keep recipes nearby

Keep your recipes in a centralized location. Then you can easily answer ingredient and allergen questions from your customers. 

If you prepare and package food items for self-service, you must label the items.

Food is packaged if the food business:

• Bottles, cans, cartons, wraps or bags the product
• Makes the product available for self-service

The Minnesota Food Code requires labels to have specific information. Labels on prepackaged food available for self-service must include:

• Food name
• Net quantity of contents
• Ingredient list, including major food allergens
• Business name and address
• Nutrition facts

If you are a registered cottage food producer, you must have specific information on your label. Your label must be in English. 

Your label must have:

• Name, either the:
  
  • Person's name listed on your registration, or
  • Business name listed on your cottage food application
• Registration number or address on your cottage food application
• Date food was made
• Statement “these products are homemade and not subject to state inspection
• List of ingredients in the product, including any major food allergens. The allergens of concern are milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame.

Note:  QR Codes cannot take the place of the information that must be on the label. A QR code can only be added in addition to the required information.

Example of a cottage food label: 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts

Made on: 7/10/2024
Sally Baker
Cottage Food Registration # 12345678

Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid), butter (milk, salt), chocolate chips [sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, butterfat (milk)], walnuts, sugar, eggs, salt, artificial vanilla extract, baking soda. 

Contains: Wheat, eggs, milk, walnuts

These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.

Apply to

• Retail and food service businesses that package, label and offer products for human consumption

Do not apply to

• Foods placed in a wrapper or container following a customer’s order at the point of purchase

Identify food allergens on your label

Do this one of two ways:

• List the common or usual name of the food source, followed by the name of the allergen in parentheses.
  • Example:
    Flour (wheat), whey (milk)
• After the ingredient list, list the word “Contains:” followed by the food allergen.
  • Example:
    Contains: wheat, milk

Remember

• For tree nuts, declare the specific type of nut.
  • Examples: almonds, coconut, pecans
• For fish or crustacean shellfish, declare the species.
  • Examples: walleye, shrimp, lobster