Start a home kitchen in Mississippi
The steps, the costs, where to apply, and how to get inspection-ready — in Mississippi's own program terms.
Cottage food law
Sales cap: $35,000 in gross annual sales (all products, all locations combined). No increase is scheduled: every bill to raise it — 2024 SB 2638 ($50,000), 2025 SB 2265 ($59,000), 2026 SB 2394 ($120,000), and 2026 SB 2398 (eliminate cap entirely) — died in committee.
Allowed foods: Allowed: nonpotentially hazardous foods that need no time/temperature control, including baked goods without cream, custard, or meat fillings (breads, biscuits, cookies, pastries, tortillas, fruit pies, fried-pie-style pastries); candy and confections; chocolate-covered nonperishables (except melons); dried fruit (except melons); dried pasta, spices, baking mixes, rubs; granola, cereal, trail and nut mixes; jams, jellies, and preserves (21 CFR Part 150); acidified/pickled foods meeting 21 CFR Part 114 (pH 4.6 or below), including sauerkraut and kimchi (fermented products need extra paperwork, product testing, and process approval); mustard; popcorn; vinegar; waffle cones; air-dried hard-cooked eggs with intact shell. Not allowed: meat, fish (including smoked), poultry, eggs (except air-dried hard-cooked with intact shell), dairy (including custard pies), cooked vegetables/beans/legumes/potatoes/rice, low-acid canned foods (pH above 4.6), garlic or fresh herbs in oil, fruit/vegetable juice, sliced melons, raw seed sprouts, pasteurized or pre-cooked foods, nut butters, and wine/beer.
🥧 Cottage track in Mississippi
🥧 Cottage Food — Shelf-Stable Cottage food law — the shelf-stable track: preorder / pickup, never reservations.
No permit required in Mississippi for this track — makers are not “permitted”; they follow the cottage food rules.
Allowed foods: Allowed: nonpotentially hazardous foods that need no time/temperature control, including baked goods without cream, custard, or meat fillings (breads, biscuits, cookies, pastries, tortillas, fruit pies, fried-pie-style pastries); candy and confections; chocolate-covered nonperishables (except melons); dried fruit (except melons); dried pasta, spices, baking mixes, rubs; granola, cereal, trail and nut mixes; jams, jellies, and preserves (21 CFR Part 150); acidified/pickled foods meeting 21 CFR Part 114 (pH 4.6 or below), including sauerkraut and kimchi (fermented products need extra paperwork, product testing, and process approval); mustard; popcorn; vinegar; waffle cones; air-dried hard-cooked eggs with intact shell.
Prohibited foods: meat, fish (including smoked), poultry, eggs (except air-dried hard-cooked with intact shell), dairy (including custard pies), cooked vegetables/beans/legumes/potatoes/rice, low-acid canned foods (pH above 4.6), garlic or fresh herbs in oil, fruit/vegetable juice, sliced melons, raw seed sprouts, pasteurized or pre-cooked foods, nut butters, and wine/beer.
Sales cap (cottage track): $35,000 in gross annual sales (all products, all locations combined). No increase is scheduled: every bill to raise it — 2024 SB 2638 ($50,000), 2025 SB 2265 ($59,000), 2026 SB 2394 ($120,000), and 2026 SB 2398 (eliminate cap entirely) — died in committee.
Labeling (from the published steps):
- Label every package with the operation name and address, product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight or volume, allergen information, nutritional information if a claim is made, and the statement "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations" in at least 10-point type with clear contrast
Where you may sell (from the published rules):
- Make and store products in the kitchen of your private home, following FDA Retail Food Code safe-handling practices
- Sell direct to the consumer only — from home, farmers markets, roadside stands, fairs/events — and only within Mississippi
- no online, mail-order, wholesale, or retail-store sales (online advertising is allowed)
🌮 Street track in Mississippi
🌮 Street Food — Sidewalk & Mobile
Street and mobile vendors do not cook from home kitchens — a different permit stack, and walk-up sales only.
No distinct street-vendor (sidewalk / mobile) regime is documented in Mississippi's published data on this site yet — mobile food is permitted separately from home kitchens; check with the local health department.
The permit steps
- No MSDH permit, license, or registration is required to operate a cottage food business — cottage food operations are exempt from the food-establishment permitting requirements of Miss. Code Ann. §41-3-18.
- No food-safety training is legally required; MSDH strongly encourages training, especially for acidified/pickled products (MSU Extension offers Acidified Canned Foods training and Better Process Control School).
- No routine health-department inspections; MSDH may investigate and inspect only upon a consumer complaint of unsafe food or a law violation.
- Check your city or county for local business licenses or zoning rules — these vary locally (e.g., some cities require zoning compliance for home-based sales).
- Fees: none at the state level (no registration or permit fees).
How it works, start to finish
- Confirm your product is a nonpotentially hazardous food on the allowed list (when in doubt, ask MSDH).
- Make and store products in the kitchen of your private home, following FDA Retail Food Code safe-handling practices.
- Label every package with the operation name and address, product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight or volume, allergen information, nutritional information if a claim is made, and the statement "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations" in at least 10-point type with clear contrast.
- Keep gross annual sales at or under $35,000 and keep sales/production records (MSDH or the IRS can ask to review them).
- Sell direct to the consumer only — from home, farmers markets, roadside stands, fairs/events — and only within Mississippi; no online, mail-order, wholesale, or retail-store sales (online advertising is allowed).
- Check with your city or county for any local business license or zoning requirements.
- Report income to the IRS.
Where to apply in Mississippi
Official sources — start with the agency or department that runs Mississippi's program:
- MSDH — Cottage Food Operation: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, rev. Sept 2023)
- MSDH — Food Code and Food Facility Regulations (Cottage Food Production)
- MS Legislature — SB 2265 (2025), official bill text showing failed cap/training/wine amendments
Inspection prep (general)
General prep that applies in most programs — your law guide and health department have the specifics for Mississippi:
- Write your standard operating procedures: foods handled, prep methods, cleaning schedule, refuse disposal, and your time/temperature control plan.
- Complete the food safety training your program requires and keep the certificate where an inspector can see it.
- Have a calibrated food thermometer, proper cold storage, and labels that meet your program's rules.
- Keep pets out of the kitchen during production, and separate household and business ingredients.
Read the full Mississippi law guide → · Check your eligibility → · Ask the guide about Mississippi →
🎓 Training & money help in Mississippi
Links verified from the state's official sources and movement research — confirm current program details with the provider.