Home bakers at a school fundraiser and home bakers running a side business face different rules, and the boundary is not obvious. Before you buy a case of bags from a catalog like https://outus.net/ and print stickers, read this. What follows is the shape of the requirements, not legal advice; your state and county are the authority.
Cottage food laws vary by state, dramatically
Nearly every state allows some home production of shelf-stable foods for direct sale, under a law usually called a cottage food law. What differs is the sales ceiling, whether you need a permit, whether shipped sales count, and which foods qualify. Neighboring states can have opposite answers.
Shelf stable is the dividing line
Cookies, breads without dairy fillings, jams meeting acidity rules, and dry mixes generally qualify. Cheesecake, cream-filled pastry, custards, and anything needing refrigeration generally do not, because temperature control is the risk a home kitchen cannot document. That is also why paper packaging suits the qualifying list so well: it is built for dry goods.
What a compliant label usually carries
- The product name and the name and address of the person who made it.
- A full ingredient list in descending order by weight.
- A clear declaration of the major allergens present.
- Net weight or count.
- The disclosure sentence your state requires about home production and inspection status.
The allergen part is the one that matters most
Wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame are the major allergens recognized federally, and sesame was added recently enough that older templates miss it. If you bake nut cookies on the same sheet pan as anything else, say so plainly. A reaction ends small businesses.
Nutrition panels are usually not required
Small producers are generally exempt from full nutrition labeling, and you should not print one unless the product has been analyzed. An invented panel is worse than none.
Fundraisers are often exempt, but not always
Many states carve out occasional charitable bake sales. Some do not, and some limit events per year. Ask the organizer whether they checked.
Practical labeling at a market table
Preprinted stickers for your standard products with a blank field for the date beat writing full labels by hand. Removable label stock lets you fix a mistake without ruining a bag.
Keep a batch record
A notebook line with date, recipe, batch size, and where it sold takes ten seconds and makes a complaint traceable. Being able to say what went into that batch changes the conversation.
Ask before the season, not during it
County health departments answer these questions for free. Calling in the quiet month before the fair beats calling from the lot.