The essentials
Kentucky, at a glance
Kentucky has two different routes.
Home-based processors make listed non-potentially-hazardous foods in their primary residence without needing to grow the ingredients. Home-based microprocessors are farmers producing approved canned foods from a primary ingredient they grow. Each definition has a $60,000 annual gross-income limit. Choose the route before buying equipment or promising a sales channel.
Choose the route that fits
- Home-based processor
- Kentucky resident producing listed non-potentially-hazardous foods in the primary residence, with annual gross income from those products no greater than $60,000.
- Home-based microprocessor
- Kentucky farmer growing the primary ingredient and producing approved acid, acidified, formulated-acid or low-acid canned food through the certified microprocessor route, with annual gross income no greater than $60,000.
- Sales limits
The processor and microprocessor definitions each set annual gross income from their products at no more than $60,000.
- Registration & permits
A processor submits DFS-250 and a $50 registration fee to the Food Safety Branch; registration expires March 31 and renews annually for $50.
View official sources (3)
- KRS 217.015 — definitions Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- Home-based processing and microprocessing comparison University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Register a home-based processing business
Check every product against the permitted list, then complete DFS-250 with your production residence and menu and submit the $50 fee.
Put March 31 on your renewal calendar: registration expires on that date and costs $50 annually. The ordinary processor route does not require the microprocessor workshop. Contact the Food Safety Branch when adding eligible products.
Prepare a microprocessor application
Confirm farmer and primary-ingredient eligibility first.
Complete approved food-processing training, obtain a written scheduled process for every recipe, and assemble DFS-251 with farmland, residence, water and sewage information. Submit draft labels for review too. Wait for application approval before marketing. Retain each approved process so it is available when the cabinet requests it.
View official sources (4)
- KRS 217.015 — definitions Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- DFS-250 home-based processor application and instructions Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Home-based processing and microprocessing comparison University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
Cookies, fruit pies and pantry products
Check the conditionsBread, cookies, cakes and fruit pies can fit the listed processor route when the finished food is non-potentially hazardous.
The permitted list also includes specified herbs, spices, nuts, candy, dried foods, granola, popcorn and syrups. Candy must contain no added alcohol and be made without bare-hand contact. A familiar product name alone does not establish eligibility for every filling or formulation.
Pepper jelly and low-sugar jam need a different check
Check the conditionsCHFS directs low-acid, low-sugar and savory jams or jellies toward microprocessing.
Its processor application excludes low-acid, vegetable and herb jams or jellies. Do not assume an ordinary fruit-jam registration covers a new pepper-jelly or reduced-sugar recipe. The farmer eligibility, training, process approval and narrower sales locations all matter when changing programs.
Products neither route covers
Check the conditionsCheesecake, cream or custard fillings, meringue pies and pastries, raw sprouts, garlic-in-oil and pureed baby food are excluded by the regulation for both programs.
A microprocessor certificate is not general permission to sell refrigerated desserts or prepared meals. Start with the actual exclusion list when considering a menu expansion.
View official sources (5)
- KRS 217.015 — definitions Kentucky Legislature
- KRS 217.137 — home-based microprocessors Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- DFS-250 home-based processor application and instructions Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Summary of updates to home-based processing Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Online orders, pickup and delivery | A home-based processor may advertise and take orders and payments online or by phone. The food must still go personally and directly to a consumer within Kentucky, using pickup, delivery or an eligible market or event. CHFS expressly says processors may not ship items. Build order forms around a Kentucky handoff instead of a postal-shipping option. |
| Farmers markets and microprocessor sales | Home-based processors can use the listed markets and community events. Microprocessors have the narrower statutory locations: farmers markets, certified roadside stands and their own farm. Keep these permissions separate when selling both cookies and an approved canned product. Permission for the cookie order does not automatically authorize the same fulfillment method for microprocessed food. |
| Grocery stores and wholesale requests | The processor route is built around direct sales to consumers. University of Kentucky Extension excludes grocery stores, restaurants and wholesale distributors buying for resale. Before accepting a recurring wholesale order, ask the Food Safety Branch which manufacturing route covers it. A retailer’s willingness to stock a product does not expand the home-food program. |
View official sources (4)
- KRS 217.137 — home-based microprocessors Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- Summary of updates to home-based processing Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Home-based processing and microprocessing comparison University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Kentucky requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Home-based processor
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Required processor statement
For home-based processor products, use “This product is home-produced and processed” in at least 10-point type, with clear contrast as specified by CHFS guidance.
Keep the statement legible alongside the product information. It is part of the package label, rather than a substitute for the identity, ingredient, quantity, allergen and processing-date information.
Address, ingredients and processing date
The processor label guide requires the operation’s name and full street address, including city, state and ZIP code.
Add the product’s common name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight or volume or numerical count, processing date and applicable major allergens. Sesame appears in the current allergen guidance. The old city-and-state-only summary was incomplete.
Microprocessor labels need prior review
Microprocessor labels also require “This product is home-produced and processed.” in 10-point type, plus the full street address, product and operation names, ingredients, quantity, processing date and major allergens.
Submit draft copies of every product label to the cabinet before labeling and marketing. Approval of one label does not remove review for a different product.
The wording for your label
Home-based processor
View official sources (5)
- KRS 217.136 — home-based processors Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- Labeling requirements for home-based processors Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Labeling requirements for microprocessors Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Summary of updates to home-based processing Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
A useful head start
Your Kentucky label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
Changing an approved salsa recipe
A microprocessor changing a recipe needs a new processing-authority review and approval before processing.
Each additional product needs its own written scheduled process. Keep the approved version with your production materials so ingredient changes do not slip into routine batches. The regulation also links food-processing-school attendance to product changes or additions, so confirm that requirement when planning a new recipe.
An example
Preparing the kitchen for an order
Before processor work, wash, rinse and sanitize food-contact surfaces and equipment.
Keep children under 12 and animals out, and pause household meal preparation, dishwashing and laundry activities in the kitchen. Do not process during contagious illness. Treat production as a dedicated work period with the hygiene and equipment standards required by the regulation.
A registration is not protection from inspection
The statute allows annual facility inspection and inspection or sampling when adulteration, misbranding or a consumer complaint is involved.
The regulation specifically provides for complaint inspections. Keep the actual recipe and label information organized, and maintain the applicable production standards between sales. Avoid describing Kentucky’s program as an absolute no-inspection exemption.
View official sources (2)
- KRS 217.136 — home-based processors Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
A few more answers
Common questions
How do microprocessor renewals work?
Microprocessor certification expires March 31 and renews annually for $50. Approved food-processing-school attendance is required every three years or when products change or are added. Recipe review and training are separate from the annual certification fee, so confirm current course and process-review charges when planning the application or a new product.
View sources for this answer (1)
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
Can I vacuum-pack an otherwise eligible food?
The regulation prohibits vacuum packaging in containers other than mason-type jars. Packaging choices are therefore part of eligibility, even for a familiar food. Qualifying jams and jellies also have specific canning sanitation and equipment provisions; use the complete applicable process instead of assuming a sealed container alone establishes safe processing.
View sources for this answer (1)
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 2 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Get the correct form and label guide
Start with the CHFS home-based processing page and its official applications and label documents. For processor product additions or questions, contact the Food Safety Branch at 502-564-7181 or food.safety@ky.gov. Describe the ingredients, process, packaging and intended selling location so the response addresses the actual product and program.
Official sources 9 references
- KRS 217.015 — definitions →
Kentucky Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- KRS 217.136 — home-based processors →
Kentucky Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- KRS 217.137 — home-based microprocessors →
Kentucky Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing →
Kentucky Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Labeling requirements for home-based processors →
Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Labeling requirements for microprocessors →
Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- DFS-250 home-based processor application and instructions →
Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Summary of updates to home-based processing →
Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home-based processing and microprocessing comparison →
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Kentucky’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (4)
- KRS 217.136 — home-based processors Kentucky Legislature
- 902 KAR 45:090 — home-based processing and microprocessing Kentucky Legislature
- Labeling requirements for home-based processors Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
- Summary of updates to home-based processing Kentucky CHFS Food Safety Branch
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.