The launch checklist

• Write the formulation down by weight, not by cups — you will need it for costing, labelling and any process authority
• Cost one real batch including packaging, labels and your own hours at a real rate
• Decide the shelf price you are aiming at, and work the wholesale price back from it

• Establish whether the product is acidified: added acid, finished equilibrium pH at or below 4.6, water activity above 0.85
• If it is, line up a process authority before scaling the recipe
• Register the facility with the FDA if you are producing anywhere other than a private residence — it is free
• Check your state's cottage food rules if you are starting at home, including whether wholesale is permitted at all

• Build the label: identity, net quantity, ingredients in descending order, allergens, and your name and place of business
• Decide whether you need a Nutrition Facts panel, or whether an exemption applies and you want one anyway
• License a GTIN from GS1 for each sellable variation — never a resold barcode
• Establish a best-by date you can defend, and write down how you got there

• Give every batch a lot code and record what went into it
• Keep ingredient delivery records with supplier lot numbers
• Record pH, water activity and fill temperature per batch against your limits
• Be able to answer: this lot, made this day, from these deliveries, shipped to these customers

• Have case pack, case cost, minimum order and lead time ready, identical everywhere they appear
• Put a one-page sell sheet together — what it is, why it sells, those four numbers, your contact
• Get product liability insurance quoted before a buyer asks for a certificate
• Agree payment terms in writing before the first delivery, not after the first late payment

This is general information for U.S. food businesses, not legal advice, and rules change. Check it against the sources below and against your own state's rules before you rely on it.

The guides go into each of these properly, with sources.