Selling jam from a California cottage food operation
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Yes, if your jam meets the federal standard. California's Approved Cottage Foods List allows "Fruit Butters, Jams, Jellies that Comply with Part 150 of Title 21" of the Code of Federal Regulations [2], the same rules that govern commercial jam. That one condition shapes everything else: it sets the fruit you may use and the sugar you must keep, and it rules out pepper jelly by name [3]. You also register with your county or city environmental health department, not the state, and finish an approved training course within three months [1]. This page explains the Part 150 test, the two classes of operation and the county steps that vary across the state.
What "complies with Part 150" means for your recipe
Part 150 is the federal standard of identity for jams, jellies and fruit butters. In practice it sets three things a California reviewer can check:
- The fruit. Jams and jellies must be made from fruits the standard lists. CDPH's FAQ says "only those fruits listed" in Part 150 "are allowed in fruit butter, jams, and jellies. All other fruit and vegetables are not approved." [3]
- The fruit-to-sugar ratio. Jam is made with at least 45 parts fruit to 55 parts sugar, or 47 to 55 for the fruits in the standard's Group I [9]. See the 45:55 rule.
- The finished sugar content. Jam must reach 65 percent soluble solids [9]; fruit butter, 43 percent [10]. See soluble solids.
Run your recipe against those before you apply. How to write it up by weight is on from recipe to product.
Spreads the standard keeps out
| Product | California status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pepper jelly | Not approved, by name [3] | CDPH: "Peppers have a pH between 4.8-6.0," a low-acid food that "carries a risk of botulism," and peppers are not Part 150 fruits [3] |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar spread | Outside the list | It cannot reach the 65 percent soluble solids Part 150 requires [9] |
| Pumpkin or sweet potato butter | Outside the list | Not a fruit named in the fruit butter standard [10]; no tested home canning process [8] |
| Freezer jam | Outside the program | CDPH's FAQ excludes foods that need refrigeration [3] |
| Jam from a fruit not in Part 150 | Not on the list | CDPH has a request process to add a food to the approved list [2] |
| Apple, apricot, grape, peach, pear, plum or quince butter | Allowed | These are among the fruits the fruit butter standard names [10] |
CDPH explains the canning concern in plain terms: low-acid and acidified foods in a sealed jar create the low-oxygen conditions Clostridium botulinum needs, and "The process to render these food items safe is not approved in the CFO program" [3]. That is why pickles, salsa and hot sauce are also out.
Class A or Class B
| Class A | Class B | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you sell to | Directly to the public [1] | Directly, and indirectly through restaurants and food markets [1] |
| How you start | Register with the local enforcement agency [4] | Get a permit after an initial inspection [4] |
| Gross annual sales (CDPH page) | $75,000 [1] | $150,000 [1] |
| Training | Within three months of registering [1] | Within three months of the permit [1] |
The statute sets those figures and adjusts them each year for inflation based on the California Consumer Price Index [11]. CDPH's adjusted limits effective January 1, 2025 are $86,206 for Class A and $172,411 for Class B [5]; ask your county which figure it applies this year. A registration or permit from one county is enough to operate anywhere in the state [4].
Online and mail. Direct sales include "transactions made via the phone, internet, and any other digital method," and can be fulfilled in person, by mail or by third-party delivery [1]. The statute speaks of sales "throughout the state" [4]; CDPH does not address out-of-state buyers, so ask before you ship across a state line.
Your county may ask for more
Because counties run registration, the paperwork differs. Two examples:
- Plumas County evaluates and approves "each proposed recipe" separately, wants ingredients by weight, requires a hot pack canning process in appropriate jars and seals (a wax seal "is not sufficient"), and bars fruit "picked or grown in the wild" [6].
- Orange County charges a plan review fee of $128 per hour to add a product to an existing operation, and its packet lists "Made in a Home Kitchen" in 12-point type and your registration or permit number among the label items [7].
Ask your own county for its jam checklist before you buy fruit.
The cottage statement and your county number
CDPH requires labels that meet state and federal requirements but does not print the cottage statement on its page [1]; the Orange County packet's "Made in a Home Kitchen" in 12-point type, with your registration or permit number, is the version to expect [7]. The federal elements (name, net weight, ingredients, your name and address, allergens) are on what a jam label must say.
Contacts in California
Start with your city or county environmental health department, which registers and permits cottage food operations [1]. Statewide questions go to the CDPH Food and Drug Branch at 1-800-495-3232 or FDBfood@cdph.ca.gov [3]. The program rests on the California Health and Safety Code, including § 114365 [4]. Jam made outside Part 150, such as pepper jelly or a low-sugar line, needs a commercial kitchen or co-packer; ask the Food and Drug Branch which registration applies, and see when you need a licensed kitchen. This page was last verified in October 2026.
Checking your recipe against the standard
If you are unsure whether a recipe would pass a Part 150 review, start with the 45:55 rule, then price the result with the cap in mind on how to price jam.
References
- California Department of Public Health, Cottage Food Operations, not dated (viewed October 2026). https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/CottageFoodOperations.aspx
- UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Approved Cottage Foods (CDPH list as of February 2025), February 2025. https://ucanr.edu/site/cottage-foods/approved-cottage-foods
- California Department of Public Health, Cottage Food Operations FAQ, not dated (viewed October 2026). https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/CFOFAQ.aspx
- California Health and Safety Code § 114365 (text via California Public Law), viewed October 2026. https://california.public.law/codes/health_and_safety_code_section_114365
- California Department of Public Health, Cottage Food Operations Adjusted Gross Annual Sales Limit, effective January 1, 2025 (copy posted by Imperial County Public Health Department), viewed October 22, 2026. https://www.icphd.org/assets/Environmental-Health/Food/Cottage-Food/CFOAdjusted-GrossAnnualSalesLimit2025.pdf
- Plumas County Environmental Health, Cottage Food Operations: Requirements for Fruit Butters, Jams, Jellies and Preserves (Part 150 Self-Certification), revised January 25, 2016. https://ca-plumascounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/44685/CFO-Jams-and-jellies-Part-150-Self-certification-11-7-13
- Orange County Health Care Agency, Environmental Health, CFO Product Addition Request Packet, August 17, 2026. https://ochealthinfo.com/sites/healthcare/files/2026-09/CFO_Product_Addition_Request_Packet_09.01.2026.pdf
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, Beware: Pumpkin Butter, December 7, 2012. https://nchfp.uga.edu/blog/beware-pumpkin-butter
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 21 CFR 150.160 Fruit preserves and jams, current eCFR text (viewed October 2026). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/150.160
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 21 CFR 150.110 Fruit butter, current eCFR text (viewed October 2026). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/150.110
- California Health and Safety Code § 113758 (via California.Public.Law), viewed October 22, 2026. https://california.public.law/codes/health_and_safety_code_section_113758
