The essentials
New York, at a glance
Yes, after registering for the Home Processor Exemption and receiving approval for eligible foods.
This is a restricted product program, with sales staying inside New York. A food being homemade or safe on your counter is not enough: the actual product must fit the approved list and your registration.
- Registration & permits
Submit the home-processor registration request with proposed foods; additional products need a supplemental registration. A move requires reapplication because the exemption is location-specific.
View official sources (1)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Make a specific product list first
Write down each product, filling, topping and preparation method before completing the registration form.
Compare those details with the agency’s approved list. A simple cookie menu is easier to evaluate than a broad description such as desserts, which can hide prohibited frosting, refrigeration or chocolate-coating processes.
Check the location and application timing
Consult local zoning before starting.
If your water comes from a private well, attach the required certified-laboratory results; the form requires recent results, no more than three months old. The agency currently advises allowing up to 16 weeks for review, so build approval time into launch plans.
View official sources (2)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Home Processor Registration Request Form New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
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.
Bread and muffins: watch the additions
Check the conditionsSpecified breads and muffins can include high-acid fruit or commercially dried fruit and herbs.
The same categories exclude vegetables. Describe additions explicitly on the application: a plain loaf and a vegetable loaf should not be assumed to share eligibility just because both are baked in the same pan.
Cakes: the frosting matters
Check the conditionsA permitted cake does not automatically make its frosting permitted.
Homemade buttercream and cream-cheese frosting are excluded. The agency describes an alternative made entirely from shelf-stable ingredients, such as shortening, sugar and commercial meringue powder. Have the actual finished product approved rather than relying on a frosting’s informal name.
Fruit pies have a narrower category
Check the conditionsThe listed pie permission covers approved double-crust fruit pies that do not require refrigeration.
It does not extend to custard, nut, meat or single-crust pies. Spell out the crust, filling and storage needs when describing a recipe, especially if an existing product is being changed for a seasonal menu.
Snacks and chocolate coatings
Check the conditionsCheck the process as well as the ingredients.
Commercially roasted nuts can fit listed snack categories, while raw nuts do not. Melting chocolate or candy melts for coating or drizzling is prohibited, so a permitted plain snack should not be assumed to remain eligible after a decorative chocolate finish.
Repacking dried ingredients is different from drying them
Check the conditionsThe approved list includes specified commercially dried ingredients for repackaging.
It does not authorize home drying of fruit or herbs, roasting or grinding coffee, or freeze-dried foods. If a supplier changes from a finished dried ingredient to a raw ingredient, reassess the production method before selling the result.
View official sources (1)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Farmers markets and local events | Markets, farm venues, craft fairs and similar listed venues can be used for approved foods within New York. Finish packaging and labeling at home before traveling. Packaging at the market is prohibited, so plan quantities and package sizes in advance instead of bringing a bulk tray to portion for customers. |
| Online orders and home delivery | Internet orders and home delivery are allowed within New York. Make the geographic limit clear in the ordering process and check the delivery destination before accepting payment. A website can reach another state even when your home kitchen cannot legally fulfill that order under this exemption. |
| Restaurants, cafés and grocery stores | Wholesale sales to New York businesses can fit the exemption for registered, approved products. Keep the same packaging, ingredient and product restrictions when supplying a business. A shop order is an opportunity to confirm that the package and approved product list match exactly what you will deliver. |
| Shipping outside New York | The Home Processor Exemption does not permit out-of-state sales or shipments. Do not treat a customer request, small order or gift-shop resale as an exception. If broader distribution is central to your plan, discuss the appropriate licensed processing route with Agriculture and Markets before expanding. |
View official sources (1)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the New York requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Processor name; street address or PO Box, city, state and ZIP
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Registered home processor · home-kitchen phrase is recommended
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.
Processor name; street address or PO Box, city, state and ZIP
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Required information on the package
Show the product name, ingredient list in descending order, net quantity, processor name and business address, plus applicable major allergens.
Check for sesame as well as the other major allergens. Review compound ingredients from supplier labels so a changed ingredient brand does not leave important details missing.
Address privacy has a documented option
The agency’s label FAQ allows a street address or PO Box together with city, state and ZIP.
This corrects the impression that every package must reveal a home street address. The registration form still asks for the actual production street address; a mailing address does not change the approved kitchen location.
The recommended home-kitchen phrase
The agency suggests wording such as “Made in a Home Kitchen” and specifies type at least 1/16 inch high for the phrase.
Its instruction is a recommendation, not a single mandatory exact disclaimer. Keep the product identity, ingredients, quantity, processor and address fields alongside any chosen home-production wording.
The wording for your label
Registered home processor · home-kitchen phrase is recommended
View official sources (2)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Home Processor Registration Request Form New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
A useful head start
Your New York 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
Adding a product after registration
Suppose a registered cookie baker wants to add a shelf-stable cake.
Check the complete cake and frosting against the approved list, then submit a supplemental registration for the additional product. Approval of the original cookies does not create an open-ended authorization to produce every other item in the list.
Example scope: Hypothetical registered cookie business; new recipe is not assumed approved.
An example
Moving the business to another home
A move requires a new location-specific application, even if the recipes and brand stay the same.
Recheck zoning and include the required water results for a private supply. Keep the old and new approval records distinct so order planning does not accidentally rely on a kitchen address you no longer use.
A proposed law is not the operating rule
A 2026 Senate proposal would establish a separate ready-to-eat home-kitchen framework, but it remained in committee when checked.
Do not use the proposal to justify foods outside the current exemption. Review actual enacted changes and agency implementation before changing a menu or business model.
View official sources (3)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Home Processor Registration Request Form New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Senate Bill S10674, 2025–2026 session New York State Senate
A few more answers
Common questions
Does the registration need annual renewal?
The agency currently lists no registration fee and no expiration date. That does not remove the need to update product information or reapply after a move. Keep a reminder to review the registered product list whenever your menu changes, even though there is no ordinary annual expiration shown.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
Will my home kitchen be inspected?
The current FAQ says home kitchens are reviewed on a complaint basis. This is still a regulated exemption with product and operating restrictions. Unauthorized foods or opening another licensed food business can void it, so preserve the approval and check the consequences before making those changes.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
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
Contact the registration team with the exact product
Use the current Home Processor Registration Request form and send questions to agr.sm.hpregistrations@agriculture.ny.gov. The mailing address is Food Safety and Inspection, 10B Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12235. Include your recipe category, production location and intended sales channels so the response addresses the proposed operation.
Official sources 3 references
- Home Processing →
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home Processor Registration Request Form →
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Senate Bill S10674, 2025–2026 session →
New York State Senate · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed New York’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 (2)
- Home Processing New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- Home Processor Registration Request Form New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
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.