Selling pesto in Florida

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

FDACS, Cottage Foods says: “Cottage food operators may sell cottage food products on their website, by mail order, and direct to consumer (in person).” (FDACS, Cottage Foods, read October 8, 2026). FDACS, Cottage Foods says: “Cottage foods must be properly packaged and labeled. Cottage food operators can serve free samples for tasting, but the samples must be prepackaged.” (FDACS, Cottage Foods, read October 8, 2026). Florida Statutes §500.80 says: “(2) A cottage food operation may sell, offer for sale, and accept payment for cottage food products over the Internet or by mail order. Such products may be delivered in person directly to the consumer, to a specific event venue, or by United States Postal Service or commercial mail delivery service. A cottage food operation may not sell, offer for sale, or deliver cottage food products at wholesale.” (Florida Statutes §500.80, read October 8, 2026). Florida Statutes §500.80 says: “(4) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products that it stores on the premises of the cottage food operation.” (Florida Statutes §500.80, read October 8, 2026). Florida Statutes §500.80 says: “(1)(a) A cottage food operation must comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter but is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000. (b) For purposes of this subsection, a cottage food operation’s annual gross sales include all sales of cottage food products at any location, regardless of the types of products sold or the number of persons involved in the operation.” (Florida Statutes §500.80, read October 8, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 8, 2026; not legal advice.

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

Florida Statutes §500.80 says: “(3) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products which are prepackaged with a label affixed that contains the following information: (a) The name and address 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. (e) Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements. (f) If any nutritional claim is made, appropriate nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements.” (Florida Statutes §500.80, read October 8, 2026). Florida Statutes §500.80 says: “(3) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products which are prepackaged with a label affixed that contains the following information: ... (g) The following statement printed in at least 10-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background of the label: “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.”” (Florida Statutes §500.80, read October 8, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 8, 2026; not legal advice.

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 Florida. All of Florida'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 Florida'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 Florida?

Florida'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 Florida may make it. Ask the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services before you make it at home to sell. What the state allows and leaves out in general is on the Florida page.

What rules does pesto come under beyond Florida'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 Florida?

Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldFDACS, Cottage Foods says:“Cottage food operators may sell cottage food products on their website, by mail order, and direct to consumer (in person).”FDACS, Cottage Foods · Read Oct 8, 2026
Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldFDACS, Cottage Foods says:“Cottage foods must be properly packaged and labeled. Cottage food operators can serve free samples for tasting, but the samples must be prepackaged.”FDACS, Cottage Foods · Read Oct 8, 2026
Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(2) A cottage food operation may sell, offer for sale, and accept payment for cottage food products over the Internet or by mail order. Such products may be delivered in person directly to the consumer, to a specific event venue, or by United States Postal Service or commercial mail delivery service. A cottage food operation may not sell, offer for sale, or deliver cottage food products at wholesale.”Florida Statutes §500.80 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(4) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products that it stores on the premises of the cottage food operation.”Florida Statutes §500.80 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: a yearly sales ceilingFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(1)(a) A cottage food operation must comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter but is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000. (b) For purposes of this subsection, a cottage food operation’s annual gross sales include all sales of cottage food products at any location, regardless of the types of products sold or the number of persons involved in the operation.”Florida Statutes §500.80 · Read Oct 8, 2026

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

Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(3) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products which are prepackaged with a label affixed that contains the following information: (a) The name and address 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. (e) Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements. (f) If any nutritional claim is made, appropriate nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements.”Florida Statutes §500.80 · Read Oct 8, 2026
Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(3) A cottage food operation may only sell cottage food products which are prepackaged with a label affixed that contains the following information: ... (g) The following statement printed in at least 10-point type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background of the label: “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.””Florida Statutes §500.80 · Read Oct 8, 2026

How do I get pesto into a store in Florida?

Florida's Cottage Food Operation rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesFlorida Statutes §500.80 says:“(1)(a) A cottage food operation must comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter but is exempt from the permitting requirements of s. 500.12 if the cottage food operation complies with this section and has annual gross sales of cottage food products that do not exceed $250,000.”Florida Statutes §500.80 · 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 FloridaAll of Florida'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.

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