All states › Maine
Can I sell food from home in Maine?
Maine cottage food law at a glance
| Home food sales allowed | yes Home Food Manufacturing license (plus local Food Sovereignty ordinances) |
|---|---|
| Law | 01-001 CMR ch. 345 (Home Food Manufacturing); 22 MRSA 2167 (food establishment licensing); 7 MRSA 281-286 (Maine Food Sovereignty Act) |
| Sales cap | No cap stated in rule |
| Permit or registration | license. Annual Home Food Manufacturing license from the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (Quality Assurance and Regulations). Fee set in 01-001 CMR ch. 330 (amount unverified). Premises inspected before license is issued or renewed; private water tested yearly; two-bay sink required. Some products (e.g., acidified) may need a University of Maine process review (secondary source). No training requirement found. |
| Sell in person | yes |
| Take online orders | unverified |
| Ship within the state | unverified |
| Ship to other states | unverified |
| Sell to shops and cafes | yes |
| Where you can sell, details | Rule defines home food manufacturing as selling directly to consumers 'or through other distribution methods' and sets label rules for sales to stores and wholesale, so licensed home manufacturers may sell to retailers/wholesale. Online and shipping rules not confirmed on an official page; a secondary source says mail order allowed but interstate sales prohibited. |
yes = allowed; limited = allowed with conditions; no = not allowed; unverified = we could not confirm it from an official source.
What foods can you sell from home in Maine?
Allowed: Rule does not list foods; secondary sources describe shelf-stable baked goods, candy, jams/preserves, dry goods, snacks and some condiments. Rule requires potentially hazardous foods to be held at 45F or below, implying they are not categorically barred under the license.
Not allowed: Home-canned foods requiring pressure canning (low-acid canned) may not be sold. Meat and poultry remain under state/federal inspection even under food sovereignty ordinances.
Label requirements in Maine
Home-kitchen statement: No statement required for licensed home food manufacturers (01-001 CMR ch. 345). A town ordinance under the Maine Food Sovereignty Act may set its own conditions for sales under it. no statement required
Other label items: When sold to stores, wholesale, or by any public marketing, each item needs: the common or usual name; ingredients in order of predominance; net weight or count; and the name, address and ZIP code of the producer (01-001 CMR ch. 345 sec. 7). No label is needed when sold directly to the consumer from the home. Allergens: follow federal labeling.
Selling from home in Maine? The Cottage Kitchen Toolkit prices your recipes for markets, pre-orders and shops. It scales batches and prints ingredient and allergen labels and tells you that Maine needs no home-kitchen statement on the package. It also has this guide for all 50 states and DC. One-time price, and it works offline.
Get the toolkit Try the free cookie price checkNotes
Under the Food Sovereignty Act, municipalities/plantations (and counties for unorganized territories) may adopt ordinances exempting direct producer-to-consumer transactions from state food licensing/inspection, except meat and poultry inspection; check local ordinance. Act amended 2021 (c. 625), 2023 (c. 420) and 2025 (c. 309, adding 'traditional foodways' and a right-to-food policy citing Me. Const. art. I, sec. 25). maine.gov pages blocked automated fetch; rule text read via NALC compilation (current through 12/2024). Label check (2026-10-25): ch. 345 sec. 7 lists the four label items above and no disclaimer, and DACF's Home Food License 101 agrees ($20/yr license with an initial inspection).
Sources
- Maine rule 01-001 CMR ch. 345, Home Food Manufacturing (Secretary of State) official
- Maine DACF - Home Food License 101 official
- 7 MRSA 284 - Food Sovereignty authority official
- 7 MRSA 282 - Food Sovereignty definitions official
- 22 MRSA 2167 - Food establishment licensing official
- National Agricultural Law Center - Maine cottage food laws (includes 01-001 CMR ch. 345 text) secondary
- Forrager - Maine cottage food law secondary
Last checked: 2026-10-25 · confidence: high (high = key facts confirmed on an official page; medium = partly confirmed or secondary sources agree; low = a single secondary or outdated source). Summaries are our own wording, not the text of the law.
This page is a research summary, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Confirm with your state agency and local health department, using the official sources below, before you sell.