Can I sell my homemade jam in Illinois?
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Yes, as a registered cottage food operation. Illinois' law works by listing what you may not sell, and jam is not on that list; county registration forms list jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters as low-risk, shelf-stable products [1] [2]. The most important condition is a credential many first-time sellers do not expect: everyone who prepares or packages the food must hold a certified food protection manager certificate [1] [2]. You then register every year with your local health department, which may charge up to $50 [1]. Illinois also gives pepper jelly a written path: a tested recipe, or a food safety plan backed by periodic pH tests.
Before your first sale
- Get the manager certificate. The statute requires a Department-approved certified food protection manager [1]. McHenry County's registration form applies it to all persons who prepare or package the food [2]. It is a manager-level certificate, a different credential from a basic food handler card.
- Register with your local health department. Registration is with the local health department, renewed each year, with a fee of no more than $50 [1]. McHenry County, for example, charges $50 and asks which products and sales avenues you plan to use [2]. Your county or city sets the form, so start with its environmental health office.
- Label every jar and post the notice. Details below.
The Illinois label statement, word for word
The statement must read: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department." [1] The label also carries:
- the name of your operation and the unit of local government where it is located;
- your registration number and the county or municipality that issued it;
- the common name of the product, such as "Strawberry Jam";
- ingredients in descending order by weight;
- the date the product was processed;
- allergens as federal labeling requires [1].
The same notice must appear where you sell: a placard at a physical display, or a message on your online sales page [1]. Net weight and the rest of the federal baseline are on federal labeling for jam.
Where Illinois jam can be sold
Cottage food goes directly to consumers for their own use, never for resale, so shops and cafes cannot buy it to sell [1]. Within that limit the venues are broad: farmers markets including mobile markets, fairs, festivals and public events, online sales, delivery, pickup at your home or farm where local rules allow, and pickup at a third party's property with permission [1].
Shipping is allowed inside Illinois for foods that need no time or temperature control, in packaging that shows tampering. "A cottage food product shall not be shipped out of State." [1] The statute states no annual sales cap [1]. Patterns in other states are on selling jam online.
Pepper jelly and tomato jam have their own rules
Illinois treats an acidified food, one where acid is added to low-acid ingredients to bring the finished pH to 4.6 or below, as a food that needs extra steps [1]. Pepper jelly fits that description, since peppers are low-acid and the vinegar does the work (see pepper jelly). For acidified and fermented foods you choose one of two paths [1]:
- follow a recipe tested by USDA or any state's cooperative extension, or
- write a food safety plan for each product category every year, and submit a pH test of one representative product per category every three years.
Canned acidified foods must be processed in a boiling water bath in a Mason-style jar or glass container with a tight lid [1]. If you take the plan route, measuring pH explains the readings.
Tomato jam falls under a separate clause. Canned tomatoes and tomato products need either a USDA or extension tested recipe followed exactly, or a commercial lab test of your recipe's acidification, after which you keep using the same tomato varieties [1]. Cut or pureed fresh tomato is prohibited outright [1].
Low-sugar jam, freezer jam and butters
| Product | Illinois position |
|---|---|
| Fruit butters | Listed with low-risk shelf-stable products [2] |
| Pumpkin butter | Low-acid canned foods are prohibited [1]; there is no tested home canning method [3] |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar jam | Not addressed in the statute [1]; ask your health department |
| Freezer jam | Not addressed by name; only foods that need no temperature control may be shipped [1], so freezer jam cannot be mailed. Ask before selling it in person |
When you outgrow cottage food
Selling to shops, shipping out of state or making products the law excludes takes a licensed food business through your local health department or the Illinois Department of Public Health. When you need a licensed kitchen covers the options.
Where Illinois registration happens
Your city or county health department registers cottage food operations; the Illinois Department of Public Health oversees the program. The governing text is 410 ILCS 625/4 as amended by Public Act 103-0903, effective January 1, 2025 [1]. No current IDPH cottage food page was found, so ask your local department for its form and fee. Verified in October 2026. Most new Illinois registrants start at a market; selling jam at a farmers market covers the stall, samples and signs.
References
- Illinois General Assembly, Public Act 103-0903, amending 410 ILCS 625/4, effective January 1, 2025. https://ilga.gov/Legislation/publicacts/view/103-0903
- McHenry County Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Cottage Food Operation Registration Form, not dated, viewed October 2026. https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/106647/638095421651630000
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, Beware: Pumpkin Butter, December 7, 2012. https://nchfp.uga.edu/blog/beware-pumpkin-butter
