Selling pesto in Arizona

Q: Where do I go from here?

How to sell pesto to stores. Every step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in Arizona. All of Arizona'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 Do I need to register with the FDA to sell my food product?. 4 min read ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 8, 2026; not legal advice.

Sources last read Oct 8, 2026

What Arizona's own pages say about making pesto 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 pesto at home in Arizona?

Arizona's own pages, as ShelfStep read them on October 8, 2026, do not name pesto or foods like it, so this page cannot tell you whether a home kitchen in Arizona may make it. Ask the Arizona Department of Health Services before you make it at home to sell. What the state allows and leaves out in general is on the Arizona page.

What rules does pesto come under beyond Arizona's?

Outside a home kitchen, ShelfStep's plan reads pesto as a refrigerated or frozen food. The plan's own line for it, a default and not a law:

ShelfStep’s plan default, not a lawFrozen or refrigerated (non-meat): cold chain, shelf-life / challenge study, "keep frozen/refrigerated" labeling.21 CFR 114.3

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 pesto

Acidified foods kept under refrigeration21 CFR 114.3(b) says:“and foods that are stored, distributed, and retailed under refrigeration are excluded from the coverage of this part.”21 CFR 114.3(b) · Read Oct 8, 2026

Source to check: FDA food facility registration

FDA's definition of a food facility21 CFR 1.227 says:“Facility means any establishment, structure, or structures under one ownership at one general physical location, or, in the case of a mobile facility, traveling to multiple locations, that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States. ... The private residence of an individual is not a facility.”21 CFR 1.227 · Read Oct 8, 2026

Where may food made at home be sold in Arizona?

Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) says:“D. The registered cottage food preparer selling the cottage food: 1. Shall only offer cottage FOODS for sale and delivery in Arizona;”ADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) says:“4. For cottage food products that are Time/Temperature Control for Safety FOODS or contain meat or poultry products, shall ensure that the food: a. Is delivered in person directly to the consumer; b. Is not delivered by a third-party food delivery platform; c. Is maintained at the appropriate temperature during delivery and until provided to the consumer; d. Is transported to no more than one destination and for no longer than two hours in duration, including any time spent delayed in traffic; and”ADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“E. Cottage food products may be sold and delivered only under the following conditions: 1. Cottage food products that do not contain dairy, meat or poultry must be sold by the food preparer of the cottage food product or an agent of the food preparer, including a third-party vendor, and delivered to the consumer by the food preparer, the agent of the food preparer, the third-party vendor or a third-party carrier.”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“2. Cottage food products that are dairy products or that contain meat or poultry must be sold by the food preparer of the cottage food product in person or remotely, including over the internet but excluding third-party food delivery platforms, and delivered to the consumer in person.”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“4. If a cottage food product is sold by a third-party vendor, the cottage food product must be sold in a separate section of the store or on a separate display case from nonhomemade food items and the vendor must display a sign that indicates that the cottage food products are homemade and exempt from state licensing and inspection.”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026

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

Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) says:“C. The registered cottage food preparer shall: ... 3. Package the food at the home with an attached label that meets the requirements in A.R.S. § 36-932, including: ... e. The statement required by A.R.S. § 36-932(A)(5): To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a foodborne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood; and”ADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“A. Cottage food products must be packaged at home with an attached label in a clear and legible printed or handwritten font that does all of the following: ... 3. Includes the following statement: "This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection."”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“A. Cottage food products must be packaged at home with an attached label in a clear and legible printed or handwritten font that does all of the following: 1. Clearly states the name and registration number of the food preparer. 2. Lists all the ingredients in the cottage food product and the cottage food product's production date. ... 4. If the cottage food product was made in a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities, discloses that fact. 5. Includes a website address provided by the department that includes all of the following:”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelArizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 says:“B. If a cottage food product is offered for sale online, the food preparer must provide a prominent notification that includes all of the following: 1. The name and registration number of the food preparer. 2. A list of all ingredients in the cottage food product and the cottage food product's production date. 3. The following statement: "This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection." 4. A website address provided by the department that includes all of the following:”Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. §36-932 · Read Oct 8, 2026

How do I get pesto into a store in Arizona?

Arizona's Cottage Food Program rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) says:“B. An individual is not exempt from all other requirements in this Article if the individual does not maintain both an active food handler's certification, according to subsection (A)(4), and a current registration as a cottage food preparer with the Department, according to subsection (A)(5).”ADHS, Cottage Food rule R9-8-101.02 (Arizona Administrative Register, 28 Feb 2025) · Read Oct 8, 2026

From there, ShelfStep's standard plan for a refrigerated or frozen food has 20 steps. The first 6 help you find out where and how pesto 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.
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.
6.
Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe
Ask a qualified reviewer which process and storage conditions your product needs. This is where you ask someone qualified, a Process Authority, to put in writing how the product is made safe. Buyers, insurers and inspectors may ask for that document, and it cannot be obtained after the fact for product you have already sold.
In the plan: Needs the pH first. Their letter sets out the process they ask you to hold to, and the storage line for your label.

Every step, with its reason and what it typically costs, is on the pesto 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. Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured 6. Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe 7. Look into FDA registration 8. Choose the container and what seals it 9. Shortlist three co-packers or commercial kitchens 10. Work out what one batch, and one unit, costs to make 11. Set up lot codes and a recall plan 12. Make a first full-size batch 13. Find out how long it keeps 14. Get barcodes 15. Draft the label with everything it has to say 16. Set the wholesale and shelf price from the cost 17. Sell it at a market before you scale 18. Get product liability insurance 19. Make the one-page sheet a buyer reads 20. Name your first three stores

Where do I go from here?

How to sell pesto to storesEvery step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in ArizonaAll of Arizona'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 Do I need to register with the FDA to sell my food product?4 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.