Selling beef jerky in Washington

Q: Where may food made at home be sold in Washington?

Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says: “Cottage food products may only be sold directly to the consumer and may not be sold by internet, mail order, or for retail sale outside the state.” (Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22, read September 25, 2026). Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says: “the annual gross sales of cottage food products may not exceed $35,000. The determination of the maximum annual gross sales must be computed on the basis of the amount of gross sales within or at a particular domestic residence and may not be computed on a per person basis within or at an individual domestic residence.” (Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22, read September 25, 2026). Washington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149 says: “Direct sales at venues such as farmers markets, craft fairs, and charitable organization functions are permitted. Cottage food operations are prohibited from shipping product, conducting mail order sales, selling products by consignment or wholesale, and selling product outside of the state. A cottage food operation may maintain an internet website displaying available products provided any sales arising from the website are completed as in-person transactions.” (Washington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149, read September 25, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read September 26, 2026; not legal advice.

Q: What does Washington say a home-made label must carry?

Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says: “(g) The following statement printed in at least the equivalent of eleven-point font size in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria."” (Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22, read September 25, 2026). Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says: “(a) The name and permit number issued under RCW 69.22.030 of the business of the cottage food operation; (b) The name of the cottage food product; (c) The ingredients of the cottage food product, in descending order of predominance by weight; (d) The net weight or net volume of the cottage food product;” (Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22, read September 25, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read September 26, 2026; not legal advice.

Q: Where do I go from here?

How to sell beef jerky to stores. Every step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in Washington. All of Washington's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow How do I find and choose a co-packer?. 5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?. 4 min read What should I charge a store for my product?. 5 min read ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read September 26, 2026; not legal advice.

Sources last read Sep 26, 2026

What Washington's own pages say about making beef jerky at home, each line linked, and the path to a store when you want one to stock it.

Run the free rules check for it: no account, no AI.

General information, not advice. This is written for small food makers and cites its sources, but it is not legal, regulatory or food-safety advice, and it cannot account for your product, your state or your facility. Rules change and thresholds are adjusted yearly. Confirm anything you are about to act on with your state agency, a Process Authority, or the FDA.

Can I make beef jerky at home in Washington?

Washington's own pages name beef jerky, or foods like it, among what Washington says a home kitchen may not make. ShelfStep found these lines by the words they use; whether they cover your product is for the Washington State Department of Agriculture to say. Those lines, as the state writes them:

Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: what may not be made at homeWashington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149 says:“Fresh or dried meat or meat products including jerky;”Washington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149 · Read Sep 25, 2026

What rules does beef jerky come under beyond Washington's?

Outside a home kitchen, ShelfStep's plan reads beef jerky as a meat or poultry product. The plan's own line for it, a default and not a law:

ShelfStep’s plan default, not a lawMeat or poultry (e.g. egg rolls with meat, jerky, sausage): likely USDA-FSIS jurisdiction — federal/state grant of inspection or a co-packer under continuous inspection, the USDA mark of inspection on the label, and cold-chain handling. NOT the FDA path.9 CFR 304 (application for and grant of inspection)

What the rules behind it say, in their own words, with the page and the day ShelfStep read each. ShelfStep does not decide which of them apply to your product.

Source to check: the rules behind ShelfStep's plan for beef jerky

Meat inspection and retail stores9 CFR 303.1(d) says:“(d)(1) The requirements of the Act and the regulations in this subchapter for inspection of the preparation of products do not apply to operations of types traditionally and usually conducted at retail stores and restaurants, when conducted at any retail store or restaurant or similar retail-type establishment for sale in normal retail quantities or service of such articles to consumers at such establishments.”9 CFR 303.1(d) · Read Oct 8, 2026
State meat inspection programs9 CFR 321.1(a) says:“to cooperate with any State (including Puerto Rico) or any organized Territory in developing and administering the meat inspection program of such jurisdiction with a view to assuring that it imposes and enforces requirements at least equal to those under Titles I and IV of the Act, with respect to establishments at which products are prepared for use as human food solely for distribution within such jurisdiction”9 CFR 321.1(a) · Read Oct 8, 2026

Where may food made at home be sold in Washington?

Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldRevised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says:“Cottage food products may only be sold directly to the consumer and may not be sold by internet, mail order, or for retail sale outside the state.”Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: a yearly sales ceilingRevised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says:“the annual gross sales of cottage food products may not exceed $35,000. The determination of the maximum annual gross sales must be computed on the basis of the amount of gross sales within or at a particular domestic residence and may not be computed on a per person basis within or at an individual domestic residence.”Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldWashington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149 says:“Direct sales at venues such as farmers markets, craft fairs, and charitable organization functions are permitted. Cottage food operations are prohibited from shipping product, conducting mail order sales, selling products by consignment or wholesale, and selling product outside of the state. A cottage food operation may maintain an internet website displaying available products provided any sales arising from the website are completed as in-person transactions.”Washington Administrative Code, chapter 16-149 · Read Sep 25, 2026

What does Washington say a home-made label must carry?

Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelRevised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says:“(g) The following statement printed in at least the equivalent of eleven-point font size in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria."”Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelRevised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says:“(a) The name and permit number issued under RCW 69.22.030 of the business of the cottage food operation; (b) The name of the cottage food product; (c) The ingredients of the cottage food product, in descending order of predominance by weight; (d) The net weight or net volume of the cottage food product;”Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 · Read Sep 25, 2026

How do I get beef jerky into a store in Washington?

Washington's Cottage Food Operation rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesRevised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 says:“If gross sales exceed the maximum allowable annual gross sales amount established under subsection (1) of this section, the cottage food operation must either obtain a food processing plant license under chapter 69.07 RCW or cease operations.”Revised Code of Washington, chapter 69.22 · Read Sep 25, 2026

State registration or license in Washingtontypically $92 to $862 per year. The lowest tier, by gross annual sales Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture; checked Sep 2026

From there, ShelfStep's standard plan for a meat or poultry product has 18 steps. The first 6 help you find out where and how beef jerky can be made at all, so they come first:

1.
Write the recipe down with exact amounts
Cost, price, nutrition and the label are all worked out from this. Write it in the units you actually use; ShelfStep converts for the label. What matters is that someone else could make the same batch from what is written.
2.
Decide how it is kept: on a shelf, in the fridge or frozen
The planned storage helps the reviewer assess the process, shelf life and packaging.
In the plan: It decides which rules you follow.
3.
Work out how it stays cold from your kitchen to the shop
If your product needs refrigeration or freezing, plan how to keep it cold at every hand-off. Who keeps it cold at each hand-off, and how you would know if they did not, is what a buyer asks first.
4.
Find out where you are allowed to make it for sale
This finds out whether the state’s rules allow making this in a home kitchen or point to a commercial one — and that changes the cost and the timeline of everything after it. It is much cheaper to find out now than after buying packaging.
In the plan: Your state's home-kitchen rules, in its own words. Whether they cover your product is for your state's agency to say.
5.
Confirm which agency's rules it falls under
Which rules your product falls under decides every step after this one, and only the right authority can say. The plan says likely; this is where someone qualified says for certain.
6.
Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured
These measurements give your reviewer information about the batch; they do not establish safety or storage conditions on their own.
In the plan: The two numbers the acidified-food rules name. Measured on the finished product, once it has settled.

Every step, with its reason and what it typically costs, is on the beef jerky page:

1. Write the recipe down with exact amounts 2. Decide how it is kept: on a shelf, in the fridge or frozen 3. Work out how it stays cold from your kitchen to the shop 4. Find out where you are allowed to make it for sale 5. Confirm which agency's rules it falls under 6. Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured 7. Choose the container and what seals it 8. Shortlist three co-packers or commercial kitchens 9. Work out what one batch, and one unit, costs to make 10. Set up lot codes and a recall plan 11. Make a first full-size batch 12. Get barcodes 13. Draft the label with everything it has to say 14. Set the wholesale and shelf price from the cost 15. Sell it at a market before you scale 16. Get product liability insurance 17. Make the one-page sheet a buyer reads 18. Name your first three stores

Where do I go from here?

How to sell beef jerky to storesEvery step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in WashingtonAll of Washington's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow

How do I find and choose a co-packer?5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?4 min read What should I charge a store for my product?5 min read

Check the rules for yours, then keep it

The rules check runs the same deterministic engine ShelfStep uses inside the app, on your answers, and quotes the sentences each rule rests on, with their links and the day ShelfStep read them. It does not decide which apply. It is free, needs no account and uses no AI. A ShelfStep workspace then keeps your plan, your records and the dates, free for one product.

Run the free rules check Start free

Something here out of date, or a state we should write up next? Email hello@shelfstep.com.