Florida Cottage Food Law · 2026
Can you sell bread from home in Florida?
YES — Allowed
Yes. Breads, rolls, and biscuits are allowed Florida cottage foods — no permit, license, or commercial kitchen required.
Why yes?
Bread is a shelf-stable baked good, one of the core categories Florida's cottage food law was written for. Artisan loaves routinely carry margins around 80%, which makes bread one of the most profitable products a home baker can sell.
The line to watch: breads with perishable fillings or toppings (cream fillings, meat, cheese) are not allowed. Plain, enriched, and fruit/herb breads are all fine.
Florida Cottage Food Law: Key Facts
Updated July 2026- Permit required: None — no license, permit, or FDACS registration for cottage foods
- Legal basis: Florida Statute 500.80
- Annual sales cap: $250,000 gross per year
- The rule: Only non-potentially-hazardous foods (safe at room temperature)
- Sales channel: Direct to consumers in Florida only — no wholesale
- Labels: 6 required elements, including the cottage food statement
How to sell bread legally
- 1All standard loaves qualify: sourdough, sandwich bread, focaccia, challah, Cuban bread
- 2Skip fillings that need refrigeration (cheese, meat, cream)
- 3Label each loaf with ingredients by weight and the cottage food statement
- 4Farmers markets are the natural sales channel — bread sells out early
Storage & refrigeration
Bread qualifies because it's shelf-stable — safe at room temperature. Keep it that way: the moment you add a cream or custard filling, fresh dairy, or anything that needs refrigeration, it stops being a cottage food. Store and transport bread at room temperature and it stays compliant.
How to label bread
Every package of bread you sell needs a compliant label with all 6 required elements:
- 1Your cottage food business name and address
- 2The product name
- 3Ingredients, listed in descending order by weight
- 4Net weight or quantity
- 5Allergen declaration (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish)
- 6The cottage food statement (exact wording, below)
“Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.”
This statement must appear word-for-word.
Where you can sell bread in Florida
Cottage food is sold direct to the customer, within Florida. For bread, that means:
✅ Allowed
- Farmers markets, fairs & events
- Home pickup and local delivery
- Online, phone & mail order — delivered in Florida
🚫 Not allowed
- Wholesale to stores/restaurants for resale
- Selling or shipping outside Florida
- More than $250,000 in gross sales per year
Pricing bread for profit
Add up your cost per unit (ingredients + packaging), multiply by 3–4× to cover your time and overhead, then sanity-check against what similar makers charge locally. Undercharging is the single most common mistake — your time is a real cost, not a freebie.
Free recipe cost calculatorCommon mistakes to avoid
- Underpricing — not counting your time, packaging, and market fees
- Missing a required label element, especially the exact cottage food statement
- Adding a filling or frosting that needs refrigeration, which quietly turns compliant bread non-compliant
- Selling across state lines or wholesale to a shop for resale
- Losing track of the $250,000/year gross sales cap
Not sure about a different product?
Check any food against Florida's rules in seconds with our free tool — then price it and label it with the rest of the toolkit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a food safety course to sell bread?
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No. Florida requires no food safety course, permit, or license for cottage food operations.
Can I sell bread to restaurants or stores?
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No. Cottage food must be sold directly to the end consumer — wholesale to restaurants or retailers is not allowed.
People also ask about
Official Florida sources
FDACS — Cottage Foods
Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services — the official cottage food program.
Florida Statute 500.80
The cottage food law itself, on the Florida Legislature's official site.
This is general educational information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — always verify current requirements with FDACS before you sell.
Ready to start selling?
Get the step-by-step startup guide, free pricing tools, and a spot in Florida's cottage food directory.
Educational information, not legal advice. Verify current requirements with FDACS. Based on Florida Statute 500.80 as of 2026.