How to Label Food to Sell Online
Your own website can take an order from anywhere, which is exactly what makes online labeling tricky. The label you need depends on where the box is headed. Here is how to tell, and how to stay covered.
Do you need a Nutrition Facts panel online?
Panel depends on where you shipSelling from your own website is allowed, but the label you need depends on where your buyers are. Direct sales inside your own state may stay under your cottage food law. Shipping across a state line usually triggers full federal labeling, including the Nutrition Facts panel.
Nutripane builds the Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient, allergen, and disclaimer label from your recipe, so you are ready whether this channel needs the panel or not.
What your label needs to sell online
- ✓Product name. The common name of the food, so a buyer knows what it is.
- ✓Net quantity. The weight or count in the package, usually shown on the front.
- ✓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, for direct sales.
What is different when you sell online
- ✓ A Nutrition Facts panel if you ship out of state
- ✓ A complete ingredient and allergen statement
- ✓ Clear storage and best-by guidance for shipped food
One thing sellers miss selling online
A website reaches every state. The safest plan is to build the panel now, so a single out-of-state order does not leave your label short.
Popular foods to sell online
Questions
Can I sell homemade food online?
Yes, though the rules depend on where you ship. Selling within your own state may fall under your cottage food law, while shipping across state lines usually requires full federal labeling, including a Nutrition Facts panel. Check your state's cottage food program for online and shipping limits.
Do I need a nutrition label to sell food on my own website?
If you ship across state lines, usually yes. Interstate sales fall outside cottage food exemptions, so plan on a Nutrition Facts panel plus the ingredient list, allergen statement, net weight, and business information. Nutripane builds all of it from your recipe.
Read next
Selling somewhere else?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Food labeling, cottage food rules, and marketplace policies vary by state and change over time. Confirm current requirements with your state's cottage food program and the place you plan to sell. See your state's rules or another channel.