Michigan Cottage Food Law

The Challenge

Since 2010, the Cottage Food Law in Michigan has allowed producers to make non-potentially hazardous food items in their home kitchen, not licensed by the State of Michigan, and sell them directly to consumers. A decade later, changes in the retail environment and lessons learned call for changes to be made to this bill. Recent proposed legislation proposes expanding the law to allow online sales, increasing the gross sales cap, and creating a voluntary registration system to protect producer’s privacy.

The Impact

Cottage food items are specific products created in a home kitchen that can be sold directly from the producer to consumers. Products must meet certain criteria, such as specific product eligibility and labeling requirements. 

Cottage food producers may be hobbyists, supplementing other income, building a small food business with the goal of staying small or eventually scaling up. These proposed changes will better serve the needs of Michigan's cottage food producers.