Cottage Food Packaging Guide

Almost every cottage food guide online covers labelling — what text goes on the sticker. Very few cover packaging: the box itself, what it has to be made of, and what an inspector will actually look at. This guide covers the packaging side.

An honest disclaimer first: we sell boxes, we are not lawyers, and cottage food law is set state by state and changes often. Treat this as an orientation, then check your own state health department before you sell anything.

1. Your packaging has to be food-contact grade

This is the requirement people miss. Craft boxes, gift boxes and shipping cartons from a stationery shop are not manufactured to food-contact standards, even when they look identical to a bakery box. If a box is going to touch an unwrapped cookie, it must be made from board produced for food contact.

Every box we sell is manufactured to food-contact standards. If your inspector asks, ask us and we will send documentation.

2. Packaging must be new, clean and single-use

Most state cottage food rules require that food is delivered in packaging that is new and unused. Reusing boxes, even clean ones, is generally not permitted for sale. This is a practical reason to buy in sensible quantities rather than hoarding a mixed pile of odd boxes.

3. The package has to close properly

Rules typically require food to be protected from contamination between your kitchen and the customer. In practice that means a box that actually closes and stays closed. A lock-corner tuck-top box satisfies this; an open tray or a loosely folded box may not. If you are transporting to a market, a tamper-evident sticker over the closure is a cheap addition that reads as professional and closes the question.

4. Labelling — the part everyone covers

Nearly every state requires a label carrying, at minimum:

  • The name and address of your cottage food operation
  • The name of the product
  • The ingredients, in descending order by weight
  • Allergen declarations
  • Net weight or volume
  • A statement that the food was made in a home kitchen and is not subject to state inspection — wording varies by state and is usually prescribed exactly

The practical packaging consequence: you need somewhere to put that label. A busy printed box with no clear panel makes this awkward. A plain white or kraft box gives you a clean surface. This is a real reason a lot of cottage bakers buy plain boxes and brand them with a sticker rather than buying pre-printed ones.

5. PFAS bans are now a live issue

Several states have banned intentionally added PFAS in food packaging, including paper and paperboard. Illinois took effect 1 January 2026 and Maine on 25 May 2026, with more states following. PFAS has historically been used as a grease-resistant treatment on food packaging, which means the products most likely to be affected are greaseproof wrappers and fried-food cartons rather than dry cake boxes.

If you sell in a state with a ban, ask your supplier for written confirmation of PFAS status rather than assuming. We are in the process of documenting this across our range — ask us for current documentation and we will tell you exactly what we have.

6. What this means for choosing boxes

If you... Choose
Want customers to see the product before opening A window box — strong at markets and counters
Brand with stickers or stamps A plain box, white for crisp printing, kraft for a handmade look
Sell cupcakes A box with a fitted insert — without one, buttercream will not survive the journey
Sell decorated cookies A shallow cookie box so a single layer cannot slide and chip
Are just starting and unsure Ask us for a free sample kit before committing to a case

7. Buy for the volume you actually have

New cottage bakers routinely over-buy. Boxes do not spoil, but cash does run out, and tastes change once you see your product in a customer's hands. Start with a 25 or 50 pack, learn which size you actually reach for, then move to case quantity where the per-box price drops substantially.

Free samples for new bakeries

If you are setting up, tell us what you are making and we will send samples of the boxes we think fit, at no cost. Handling the board answers more questions than any spec sheet. Request a sample kit.