By definition, in Illinois, a Cottage Food Operation is a business operated by a person who produces or packages non-potentially hazardous food in a kitchen located in the person’s primary domestic residence or another appropriately equipped residential or commercial-style kitchen on that property. The non-potentially hazardous food must be for direct sale by the owner, a family member, or an employee. The food must be stored in the residence or in an appropriately designed and equipped residential or commercial-style kitchen on that property where the food is made.

To learn more about standards for Cottage Food Operations in the state of Illinois, visit From Garden Gates to Dinner Plates, or contact one of our local foods and small farms experts.

Diane Reinhold
Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness
University of Illinois Extension
Phone: 815-235-4125 

Grant McCarty
Extension Educator, Local Food Systems and Small Farms
University of Illinois Extension
Phone: 815-986-4357