More options for cottage food industry

Illinois’ Cottage Food Law allows food entrepreneurs, local producers, and home cooks to sell non-potentially hazardous homemade foods and drinks to the public. Prior to 2012, those foods had to be prepared in a licensed commercial kitchen, an expensive option for those running a small business.

Demand for locally produced food and a growing cottage food industry has spawned statewide conversations around food entrepreneurism, resulting in the Home-to-Market Act, a set of legislative updates to the Cottage Food Law. The amendment, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, gives owners the opportuni...