What Louisiana's home food law means for your jam
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Yes. Louisiana's home preparer law, Revised Statutes 40:4.9, names "jams, jellies, and preserves" as low-risk foods you may make at home and sell with no food permit [1]. The one paperwork step is a tax document: you must hold a current sales tax certificate before you sell [1]. Since August 1, 2026, the exemption covers home preparers with gross sales under $100,000 a year, up from $30,000 [2]. The law is short, and it leaves a lot unsaid, including where you may sell and whether you may ship. This page sets out what it does require and what to ask about the rest.
Everything the statute requires of a jam maker
For jam, the law comes down to four conditions [1] [2]:
- The food is on the low-risk list. Jams, jellies and preserves are listed, along with "pickles and acidified foods" and "sauces and syrups." No low-risk food may contain animal muscle protein or fish protein [1].
- You hold a current sales tax certificate. The law requires registration to collect local sales and use taxes, shown by a current certificate [1]. Ask your parish sales and use tax collector how to register; see insurance, licenses and sales tax for the general picture.
- The label says it was not made in a licensed facility. More on this below [1].
- Gross annual sales stay under $100,000. Act 801 of 2026 (HB 403) raised the limit from $30,000, effective August 1, 2026; a preparer at or above it no longer qualifies [2].
The statute also says that Sanitary Code rules on equipment, design, construction, utensils and preparation do not apply to low-risk foods made at home for sale, while making clear it does not permit selling unwholesome food [1]. Extra kitchen rules in the law apply only to people who make breads, cakes, cookies and pies [1].
Writing your label statement
Louisiana sets the goal but not the words. The label must "clearly" indicate "that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility" [1]. A plain sentence such as "Made in a home kitchen that is not licensed or inspected by the state" says that directly. If you want certainty about your wording, ask the Louisiana Department of Health before you print.
The statute adds nothing else to the label. Name the product, list the ingredients and allergens, and state the net weight as federal rules expect; those basics are on federal labeling for jam.
Pepper jelly, low-sugar jam and other edge products
| Product | What the statute says | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Pepper jelly | Not named, but "jams, jellies, and preserves" and "pickles and acidified foods" are both listed [1] | It is an acidified food; follow a tested recipe exactly (pepper jelly) |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar jam | Not addressed [1] | Use a tested low-sugar recipe; ask LDH if unsure |
| Fruit butters | Not named [1] | Ask LDH whether a fruit butter counts as a preserve |
| Pumpkin butter | Not named [1] | No tested home canning method exists [3]; do not sell it home canned |
| Freezer jam | Not addressed [1] | The list is of low-risk foods; ask before selling anything that must be kept frozen |
Louisiana sets no pH, recipe, training or process review requirement for any of these [1]. That leaves the safety judgment with you, so stay with tested recipes and their processing times.
What the law leaves unsaid
- Venues. The statute does not list where you may sell [1]. Farmers markets and events set their own rules, so ask each organizer.
- Online and shipping. Not addressed [1]. Ask LDH before shipping, and do not assume sales to other states are covered.
- Shops and resale. The resale ban in the statute applies only to breads, cakes, cookies and pies [1]. Jam is not named in it, but the law does not affirmatively allow wholesale either. Ask LDH before selling to a store; buyer expectations are on selling jam to shops and cafes.
- Insurance. The law does not mention it.
Above $100,000
At $100,000 in gross annual sales the exemption ends [2], and you would need a permitted food processing operation through the Louisiana Department of Health. The options are on when you need a licensed kitchen.
Two offices to call
Louisiana Department of Health, which issues food permits (the exemption means you do not need one), and your parish sales and use tax collector for the certificate. LDH publishes no page that explains the home preparer exemption (none found in a search on October 22, 2026); its Retail Food Program page, which covers retail food permits, is the department's official food safety page and the place to direct a written question [4]. The statute is reference [1] and the 2026 change is reference [2]. Last checked in October 2026. Because the statute says nothing about shipping, ask LDH before you mail a jar; selling jam online shows how other states draw that line.
References
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:4.9, Low-risk foods; preparation in home for public consumption, as compiled by the National Agricultural Law Center (compilation not dated), viewed October 2026. https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/cottagefood/Louisiana.pdf
- Louisiana State Legislature, Digest of Act 801 (HB 403), 2026 Regular Session, effective August 1, 2026. https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1484775
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, Beware: Pumpkin Butter, December 7, 2012. https://nchfp.uga.edu/blog/beware-pumpkin-butter
- Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Sanitarian Services, Retail Food Program, not dated (viewed October 22, 2026; the page does not address the home exemption). https://ldh.la.gov/page/448
