Selling salsa in Texas

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

Texas DSHS, Texas Cottage Food Production says: “The common or usual name of the product. If a food is made with a major food allergen, such as eggs, tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk, wheat, and sesame that ingredient must be listed on the label.” (Texas DSHS, Texas Cottage Food Production, read September 25, 2026). Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says: “The label must include: (1) the name and address of the cottage food production operation; and (2) the following disclosure: "THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION."” (Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193, read September 25, 2026). Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says: “Notwithstanding Subsection (b)(1), a cottage food production operation is not required to include on a food label the address of the operation if the operation registers with the department in the form and manner the department prescribes, and includes on the label a unique identification number provided by the department.” (Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193, read September 25, 2026). Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says: “A cottage food production operation that sells a time and temperature control for safety food must include: (1) on the food label the date the food was made; and (2) on the food label or on an invoice or receipt provided with the food when sold the following statement in at least 12-point font: "SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption."” (Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193, 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 salsa to stores. Every step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in Texas. All of Texas's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow Does my sauce or salsa need a scheduled process?. 5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?. 4 min read How do I find and choose a co-packer?. 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 Texas's own pages say about making salsa 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 salsa at home in Texas?

Texas's own pages name salsa, or foods like it, among what Texas says a home kitchen may make. ShelfStep found these lines by the words they use; whether they cover your product is for the Texas Department of State Health Services to say. Those lines, as the state writes them:

Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: what may be made at homeTexas Health and Safety Code §437.01951 says:“A cottage food production operation that sells to consumers pickled fruit or vegetables, fermented vegetable products, or plant-based acidified canned goods shall: (1) use a recipe that: (A) is from a source approved by the department under Subsection (d); (B) has been tested by an appropriately certified laboratory that confirmed the finished fruit or vegetable, product, or good has an equilibrium pH value of 4.6 or less; or (C) is approved by a qualified process authority; or (2) if the operation does not use a recipe described by Subdivision (1), test each batch of the recipe with a calibrated pH meter to confirm the finished fruit or vegetable, product, or good has an equilibrium pH value of 4.6 or less.”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.01951 · Read Sep 25, 2026

What rules does salsa come under beyond Texas's?

Outside a home kitchen, ShelfStep's plan reads salsa as a shelf-stable acid or acidified food. The plan's own line for it, a default and not a law:

ShelfStep’s plan default, not a lawShelf-stable acid/acidified (sauces, salsa, pickles, dressings): FDA — a Process Authority letter, acidified-foods rules (21 CFR 114), a scheduled process, pH control.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 salsa

An acidified-food processor's FDA registration and process filing21 CFR 108.25(c) says:“(c)(1) Registration. A commercial processor, when first engaging in the manufacture, processing, or packing of acidified foods in any State, as defined in section 201(a)(1) of the act, shall, not later than 10 days after first so engaging, register and file with the Food and Drug Administration on Form FDA 2541 (food canning establishment registration) ... (2) Process filing. A commercial processor engaged in the processing of acidified foods shall, not later than 60 days after registration, and before packing any new product, provide the Food and Drug Administration information on the scheduled processes”21 CFR 108.25(c) · Read Oct 8, 2026
Acidified foods: the definition and its exclusions21 CFR 114.3(b) says:“(b) Acidified foods means low-acid foods to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added; these foods include, but are not limited to, beans, cucumbers, cabbage, artichokes, cauliflower, puddings, peppers, tropical fruits, and fish, singly or in any combination. They have a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. ... Carbonated beverages, jams, jellies, preserves, acid foods (including such foods as standardized and nonstandardized food dressings and condiment sauces) that contain small amounts of low-acid food(s) and have a resultant finished equilibrium pH that does not significantly differ from that of the predominant acid or acid food, 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
Who sets an acidified food's scheduled process21 CFR 114.83 says:“The scheduled process shall be established by a qualified person who has expert knowledge acquired through appropriate training and experience in the acidification and processing of acidified foods.”21 CFR 114.83 · 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

Source to check: Acidified foods under a state's own rules

A state’s own rules for acidified foods21 CFR 108.25(i) says:“Wherever the Commissioner finds that any State regulates the commercial processing of acidified foods under effective regulations specifying at least the requirements of part 114 of this chapter, the Commissioner shall issue a notice stating that compliance with such State regulations shall constitute compliance with this section, if the State through its regulatory agency or each processor of acidified foods in the State files with the Food and Drug Administration the registration information and the processing information prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.”21 CFR 108.25(i) · Read Sep 20, 2026

Where may food made at home be sold in Texas?

Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: where it may be soldTexas Health and Safety Code §437.001 says:“(C) sells the foods produced under Paragraph (A) directly to consumers or to a cottage food vendor; and (D) delivers products to the consumer or cottage food vendor at the point of sale or another location designated by the consumer or cottage food vendor.”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.001 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: a yearly sales ceilingTexas Health and Safety Code §437.001 says:“(B) has an annual gross income of $150,000 or less from the sale of food described by Paragraph (A), as the department annually adjusts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics or its successor in function;”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.001 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: where it may be soldTexas Health and Safety Code §437.0194 says:“A cottage food production operation may sell a food other than a food described by Sections 437.002(2-b)(A)(i)-(vi) in this state through the Internet only if: (1) the consumer purchases the food through the Internet from the operation and the operator or operator's employee or household member personally delivers the food to the consumer; and”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0194 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: where it may be soldTexas Health and Safety Code §437.0194 says:“(a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), a cottage food production operation may not sell food at wholesale. (a-1) A cottage food production operation may sell to a cottage food vendor at wholesale food other than a food described by Sections 437.002(2-b)(A)(i)-(vi) or a time and temperature control for safety food.”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0194 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: where it may be soldTexas Health and Safety Code §437.01965 says:“A cottage food vendor may sell food produced by a cottage food production operation in accordance with Section 437.0194(a-1) directly to consumers at a farmers' market, a farm stand, a food service establishment, or any retail store.”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.01965 · Read Sep 25, 2026

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

Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: the home-made labelTexas DSHS, Texas Cottage Food Production says:“The common or usual name of the product. If a food is made with a major food allergen, such as eggs, tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk, wheat, and sesame that ingredient must be listed on the label.”Texas DSHS, Texas Cottage Food Production · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: the home-made labelTexas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says:“The label must include: (1) the name and address of the cottage food production operation; and (2) the following disclosure: "THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION."”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: the home-made labelTexas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says:“Notwithstanding Subsection (b)(1), a cottage food production operation is not required to include on a food label the address of the operation if the operation registers with the department in the form and manner the department prescribes, and includes on the label a unique identification number provided by the department.”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 · Read Sep 25, 2026
Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: the home-made labelTexas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 says:“A cottage food production operation that sells a time and temperature control for safety food must include: (1) on the food label the date the food was made; and (2) on the food label or on an invoice or receipt provided with the food when sold the following statement in at least 12-point font: "SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption."”Texas Health and Safety Code §437.0193 · Read Sep 25, 2026

How do I get salsa into a store in Texas?

Texas's Cottage Food Production Operation rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesTexas DSHS, food manufacturers FAQ says:“An individual who manufactures and packages food for sale is required to be licensed as a food manufacturer. A requirement of being licensed as a food manufacturer is that no manufacturing can take place in the home kitchen.”Texas DSHS, food manufacturers FAQ · Read Sep 25, 2026

State registration or license in Texastypically $103 to $1,730 every two years. Gross annual sales under $10,000; $10,000 to $24,999.99; $25,000 to $99,999.99; $100,000 to $199,999.99; $200,000 to $999,999.99 Source: Texas Department of State Health Services; checked Sep 2026

From there, ShelfStep's standard plan for a shelf-stable acid or acidified food has 18 steps. The first 6 help you find out where and how salsa 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.
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.
4.
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.
5.
Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe
For a sauce, 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.
6.
Look into FDA registration
Registration is how FDA knows your facility exists; the plan is what an inspector or a buyer’s audit asks to see. Both are far easier to do now than during either.
In the plan: Look into registration with FDA. Any filing your Process Authority letter names belongs here too.

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

1. Write the recipe down with exact amounts 2. Decide how it is kept: on a shelf, in the fridge or frozen 3. Find out where you are allowed to make it for sale 4. Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured 5. Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe 6. Look into FDA registration 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 salsa to storesEvery step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in TexasAll of Texas's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow

Does my sauce or salsa need a scheduled process?5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?4 min read How do I find and choose a co-packer?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.