How to label homemade dried pasta for sale
Dried pasta is a beautiful small-batch product, as long as it is dried all the way through and labeled right. Here is what a bag of pasta needs before you sell it.
What your dried pasta label needs
- ✓Product name. The common name of the food, so a buyer knows what it is.
- ✓Net quantity. Dried pasta is sold by net weight, for example 12 oz.
- ✓Ingredient list. Every ingredient, listed heaviest-first by weight.
- ✓Allergen statement. A “Contains” line for any of the nine major allergens in your recipe.
- ✓Business name and address. Who made the food and where they can be reached.
- ✓Home-kitchen disclaimer. The cottage food sentence your state requires you to print.
Allergens to watch in dried pasta
In dried pasta, the allergens to watch are usually wheat, and egg if you make egg pasta; semolina and flour are both wheat. Your “Contains” line should reflect what is actually in your recipe, not a generic list.
Nutripane reads the allergens from your ingredients automatically, so the Contains line matches your recipe.
Do you need a Nutrition Facts panel for dried pasta?
Fully dried pasta is usually exempt from the Nutrition Facts panel as a cottage food, unless you make a nutrition claim or sell wholesale.
Nutripane builds the Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient, allergen, and disclaimer label from your recipe, so you are ready whether you need the panel or not.
Can you sell dried pasta as a cottage food?
Fully dried pasta is a shelf-stable cottage food in many states, but it has to be truly dried through, especially egg pasta. Fresh or refrigerated pasta is perishable and often restricted or prohibited. Confirm your dried pasta qualifies with your state.
One thing sellers miss on dried pasta
Semolina and all-purpose flour are both wheat. If it is egg pasta, egg goes on the Contains line, and the pasta has to be dried all the way through to sell shelf-stable.
Questions
Can I sell homemade pasta?
Fully dried pasta is a cottage food in many states because it is shelf-stable. Fresh or refrigerated pasta is perishable and usually is not allowed. Confirm your dried pasta qualifies with your state, then label it properly.
How do I label dried pasta for sale?
Package it with the product name, net weight, an ingredient list, an allergen Contains line for wheat and any egg, your business name and address, and your state's home-kitchen disclaimer. A Nutrition Facts panel is usually optional for cottage food.
Where to sell your dried pasta
Where you sell decides whether you need a full Nutrition Facts panel. Here is what each channel expects.
Guides to get you started
Labeling another food?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Food labeling and cottage food rules vary by state and county and change over time. Confirm current requirements with your state's cottage food program before you sell. See your state's rules or another product.