Home baker and cook guide
How to sell homemade food in Alabama
Alabama's cottage food pathway is for qualifying non-time/temperature-control foods sold directly to consumers within Alabama. Start with the official program below, then confirm the rules for your product, preparation setting, and local jurisdiction.
Official resources last reviewed 2026-07-21. Rules can change.
Official Alabama resources
Open the official pages below for registration, labeling, allowed foods, and temperature rules. This app collects your application only. After approval, classify every meal when you publish.
What the official pathway currently emphasizes
- Complete an approved food-safety course and submit the state review form, course certificate, and sample labels to the local county health department.
- Typical qualifying products include shelf-stable baked goods, candies, preserves, dried products, coffee, and baking mixes; meat, poultry, and fish are excluded.
- Every product needs the required identity, operation address, ingredients, non-inspection statement, and allergen disclaimer in the prescribed label format.
A practical preparation sequence
- Confirm each recipe is non-TCS.
- Complete approved training.
- Draft labels and submit the county review materials.
- Confirm the planned venue and Alabama-only delivery method.
Questions to answer before listing
- Which foods may be produced in your proposed kitchen?
- Does the product require refrigeration or temperature control?
- Are registration, training, inspection, testing, or permits required?
- What must appear on the product label and customer disclosure?
- Where may you advertise, sell, deliver, ship, or arrange pickup?
- Do county, city, zoning, tax, or tribal rules add requirements?
Prepare your local kitchen page
Once you understand the applicable pathway, create a kitchen profile, describe your general pickup area, upload real food photos, and post specific preorder windows. Kitchen Counter-Measures does not approve a product on behalf of a regulator.