Montana Cottage Food Law: Do You Need Food Safety Training?

Selling homemade food can be a great way to share your products and earn extra income, but every state has its own rules you need to follow.

Each state sets its own cottage food or “homemade food” laws that define what you can make, where and how you can sell it, and whether you need food safety training.

This article explains Montana’s cottage food law and whether you need food safety training to sell homemade food.

Montana cottage food law

Montana allows you to make and sell a wide variety of shelf-stable foods from your home kitchen through its cottage food program. Only non-potentially hazardous foods approved by the state are allowed, and all products must be listed on your registration.

Montana allows many types of homemade foods, including:

• Honey
• Nuts and nut mixes
• Snack mixes, cereals, and trail mixes
• Popcorn, popcorn balls, and cotton candy
• Standardized jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters that follow federal standards
• Repackaged commercial dried fruits and vegetables
• Dry mixes such as soup mixes, teas, coffee, and spice blends
• Fudge, candies, and confections that require a cook step
• Pies that do not require refrigeration (no custard pies, no unbaked fresh-fruit pies, no cream pies)
• Dried fruits and vegetables made from fruits naturally below pH 4.6, such as apples, cherries, peaches, berries, and citrus
• Baked goods like breads, muffins, cakes (including celebration cakes), cookies, pastries, crackers, biscuits, bars, scones, and granola

Montana requires jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters to be hot-filled or processed using a cook step, sealed in sterilized containers, and never sealed with paraffin wax.

Montana also allows cottage food operators to dry their own fruits as long as the product reaches 160°F within one hour and is maintained at 140°F or higher for the remainder of the drying process.

All frostings or glazes must either be cooked or contain enough sugar to remain shelf-stable at room temperature.

Other products may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the state and local health department.

Do you need food safety training to sell homemade food in Montana?

Montana does not require food safety training or a food handler card to make or sell cottage foods. But even though it’s not required, getting trained can benefit your business in important ways.

When someone buys your products, they want to feel confident that what they’re taking home was prepared safely. A food handler card signals that you take their health — and your business — seriously.

Food safety training can also create new opportunities. Some farmers markets, events, and insurance providers may ask cottage food vendors to show proof of training before allowing them to participate or before issuing coverage. Having a recognized food handler card can make these steps easier and may even reduce your insurance costs.

If you decide to get trained, choose an ANSI–National Accreditation Board (ANAB)–accredited course so your training meets national food safety standards.

FoodSafePal’s Food Handler course is ANAB accredited, fully online, and takes about 90 minutes to complete. After you pass, you’ll receive instant digital access to your food handler card and certificate, with the option to order a professional printed version if you want one.

Labeling requirements

Montana requires every product you make and sell to have a label with certain information.

Each label must include:

• Your contact information
• Product name
• Ingredients in descending order by weight
• Net weight, volume, count, or quantity
• Allergen information according to federal rules
• The following statement in at least 11-point type: “Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.”

Montana allows large cakes or bulk products to be handled using a label sheet, as long as the required information is provided to the customer and the product is protected from contamination.

The bottom line

Montana’s cottage food law allows you to produce and sell a wide range of shelf-stable foods from your home kitchen, as long as they are approved by the state and included in your registration. High-risk foods requiring refrigeration or reduced-oxygen packaging are not allowed.

Food safety training is not required, but completing an ANAB-accredited food handler course from FoodSafePal can help you build trust with customers, meet venue or insurance expectations, and support consistent food safety practices.

Labels are required on every product and must include specific information, including the mandatory home-kitchen statement.

Ready to start selling your homemade goods with confidence? Visit FoodSafePal.com to get your Montana food handler card online in just 90 minutes.