The essentials
Tennessee, at a glance
Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act covers qualifying shelf-stable homemade foods and, since July 1, 2025, certain foods that require temperature control for safety.
Both must be made at the producer’s private residence for Tennessee sales. Their selling rules differ: shelf-stable products can use broader channels, while temperature-controlled products require in-person direct sales.
Choose the route that fits
- Shelf-stable homemade foods
- Eligible non-time/temperature-control foods made and packaged at the producer’s private residence for Tennessee sales, including qualifying remote and retail channels.
- Certain temperature-controlled homemade foods
- July 2025 expansion allows certain TCS products with ingredient exclusions, federal poultry conditions and in-person direct sales.
- Sales limits
The enacted Food Freedom framework and 2025 amendment do not state a general annual dollar sales cap.
- Registration & permits
TDA does not issue permits/licenses or conduct routine inspections for products meeting the Food Freedom Act; foodborne-illness investigations and enforcement outside the exemption remain.
View official sources (4)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee Food Freedom Act current agency page Tennessee Department of Agriculture
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Classify each recipe first
List the exact ingredients, preparation process, packaging and storage conditions for every product.
Establish whether the finished food needs refrigeration or another safety control. If that answer is unclear, seek process-authority help. Then check ingredient exclusions and choose the selling route; a shelf-stable cookie does not establish the status of its refrigerated frosting.
Prepare the home and customer information
Production belongs at the producer’s private residence.
Prepare the producer identity, home address, phone number, product name, ingredients and disclosure before the first sale. For packaged foods, using a complete label on every package follows current UT guidance. Keep recipe and supplier records so the label stays aligned with the food.
View official sources (3)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee 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.
A shelf-stable product
Check the conditionsA product demonstrated to be non-TCS can use the act’s in-person, remote and qualifying retail-vendor channels.
Product names alone are insufficient: changing moisture, acidity, filling or packaging can change its classification. Have the exact formulation evaluated when needed before deciding that refrigeration and the narrower sales route are unnecessary.
A refrigerated product
Check the conditionsSome refrigerated homemade foods can now qualify, but the expansion excludes TCS items containing raw milk, alcohol, fish, shellfish or meat products.
Poultry has a separate conditional federal pathway. Choose an eligible recipe and a reliable cold-holding plan, then arrange an in-person sale by the producer or an agent directly to the consumer.
View official sources (3)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Shelf-stable orders, stores and carriers | Eligible non-TCS products may be sold by the producer in person or remotely, or through an agent or third-party vendor such as a retail shop. Delivery can use the producer, an agent, vendor or carrier. Keep the sale within Tennessee and provide the required consumer information for the package and transaction. |
| Temperature-controlled sales | The 2025 amendment requires in-person sales by the producer or an agent directly to the buyer. It does not extend the non-TCS grocery-resale model to these products. Do not enable a refrigerated-product shipping or remote-checkout option merely because the same business can take online orders for shelf-stable goods. |
View official sources (2)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Tennessee 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
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
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.
Tennessee’s exact disclosure
Use this statement with the required producer and product information: This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.
This product may contain allergens. The disclosure applies to qualifying homemade foods under the act; the 2025 expansion did not replace it with a new refrigerated-food warning.
Identity, ingredients and package format
Include the producer’s name, physical home address and telephone number, the usual product name, and ingredients in descending order.
UT guidance calls for subingredients and clear allergen identification, and says a PO box does not replace the home address. Following its full-package-label approach also avoids confusion over telephone, internet and custom-order display exceptions.
Useful additional information
UT says the Food Freedom Act does not require a net-weight statement, but any weight you choose to print must be accurate.
It strongly recommends Keep Refrigerated on products needing cold storage. Add practical handling information that matches the actual recipe and process; never use an optional label claim to imply state inspection.
The wording for your label
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
View official sources (4)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee Food Freedom Act current agency page Tennessee Department of Agriculture
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
A useful head start
Your Tennessee 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
A retailer wants two products
A shop may be a third-party vendor for an eligible shelf-stable product.
The same arrangement does not authorize it to resell your temperature-controlled product under the 2025 route. Separate the two items in your catalog and order process, rather than applying one wholesale setting to everything the home business makes.
An example
A restaurant wants a homemade sauce
UT Extension explains that restaurants and food-service establishments cannot use homemade foods in menu items because of Food Code requirements.
A retail shop selling a packaged eligible product is a different situation. Resolve the restaurant’s permitted-source requirements before accepting an order to supply a sauce, condiment or ingredient for its dishes.
Poultry permission has federal conditions
The amendment refers to two federal poultry exemptions, including the 1,000-bird producer route and a route using inspected-and-passed poultry.
Each has additional conditions; buying supermarket chicken is not a complete compliance check. UT also states that canning poultry is outside the Food Freedom pathway. Review the full applicable exemption before adding poultry products.
A shared kitchen changes the route
Moving production to a church, restaurant or community kitchen takes it outside the private-residence condition described by UT.
That can require a food manufacturing or food-service permit even for a shelf-stable recipe. Check the permitted business route before renting kitchen hours or relocating a successful home operation.
View official sources (3)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
A few more answers
Common questions
Do I apply for a cottage-food permit?
TDA says it does not issue a Food Freedom permit or license or conduct routine inspections for qualifying products. There is therefore no such permit renewal to schedule. The exemption does not cover products outside its conditions, and foodborne-illness investigations remain possible. Tax and other business obligations are separate.
View sources for this answer (2)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee Food Freedom Act current agency page Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Is training required?
The cited acts do not establish a general Food Freedom course certificate. UT recommends food-safety education, familiarity with good manufacturing practices and process-authority support. For a temperature-controlled menu, learn and document the cooking, cooling and holding process before selling. Poultry operations still must meet their applicable federal conditions.
View sources for this answer (2)
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
Is there a revenue limit?
The enacted framework and its 2025 amendment do not state a general annual dollar cap. That does not erase product restrictions or federal poultry limits. Keep ordinary sales records for business and tax purposes, and revisit the route when expanding products, channels or the production location.
View sources for this answer (3)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
How should refrigerated foods be held?
UT recommends cold holding at 41°F or below and hot holding at 135°F or above, using calibrated thermometers. Its cooling guidance is from 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then to 41°F within four additional hours. Use a product-specific process and packaging that maintain safe conditions through handover.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
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 right kind of help
For processing or testing questions, contact UT Food Science at foodsci_ext@utk.edu or 865-974-7331. TDA Food Safety is available at NewFood.Business@TN.gov or 615-837-5193. TDA’s current page distinguishes food-safety help from legal advice on a particular business; unresolved interpretations need the appropriate legal review.
Official sources 4 references
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act →
Tennessee General Assembly · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods →
Tennessee General Assembly · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Tennessee Food Freedom Act current agency page →
Tennessee Department of Agriculture · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items →
University of Tennessee Extension · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Tennessee’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 (3)
- Public Chapter 862, original Tennessee Food Freedom Act Tennessee General Assembly
- Public Chapter 431, expansion to certain TCS foods Tennessee General Assembly
- Tennessee’s Food Freedom Act – 2025: Non-TCS vs TCS Homemade Food Items University of Tennessee Extension
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.