Can I sell jam from my home in Missouri?
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Yes. Missouri's cottage food statute, RSMo 196.298, names "a canned jam or jelly" as one of only three kinds of food a home operation may make, alongside baked goods and dried herbs or herb mixes [1]. You need no permit, and the law bars local health departments from regulating your production [1]. The conditions are short and strict: sell only directly to consumers, sell online only when both you and the buyer are in Missouri, and label each jar with your name, address and a statement that the food is not inspected [1]. This page walks through what the statute says, the questions it leaves open, and a 2026 bill that would rewrite it.
What the statute says, and what it does not
RSMo 196.298 is brief, and almost everything you need is in four provisions [1]:
| Provision | Text or effect |
|---|---|
| What you may make | "a baked good, a canned jam or jelly, or a dried herb or herb mix for sale at the individual's home" |
| Who you sell to | "only directly to consumers" |
| Who regulates | "A local health department shall not regulate the production of food at a cottage food production operation"; the operation is exempt from state food code requirements other than this section and its rules |
| Internet sales | Not allowed "unless both the cottage food production operation and the purchaser are located in this state" |
The statute text reviewed sets no sales cap [1]. Your "home" must be a primary residence with a kitchen and ordinary household appliances [1].
Notice the words "for sale at the individual's home." Read literally, they place the sale at your home. The statute does not mention farmers markets, so if you want to sell at a market, ask the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and your market manager whether the exemption covers you there.
Products the statute does not name
The law says "canned jam or jelly" and nothing more [1]. It does not define jam, so it does not say whether these count:
- Preserves and marmalade. Close relatives of jam, but not named.
- Fruit butters. Not named. Never sell canned pumpkin butter; it cannot be safely home canned. See pumpkin butter.
- Low-sugar jam. Not addressed.
- Freezer jam. The word "canned" points against it, since freezer jam is not canned.
- Pepper jelly. It is a jelly, but its safety depends on acidifying low-acid peppers. Ask DHSS before selling it, and treat it as an acidified food until a process authority clears the recipe; see pepper jelly.
For any of these, get a written answer from DHSS before your first sale. How other states handle the same products is compared on preserves cottage food laws often exclude.
A label the statute sketches but does not word
The statute tells DHSS to write labeling rules, and says "The label shall include the name and address of the cottage food production operation and a statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department" [1]. The statute does not give exact wording, and no DHSS rule or cottage food page was found for this review. Ask DHSS whether it prescribes a sentence. The federal elements every jar needs are on what a jam label must say.
House Bill 3108 (2026)
HB 3108, introduced in the 2026 session, would repeal and re-enact section 196.298 [2]. As introduced, it would cover non-potentially hazardous homemade food including "jams, jellies," let producers sell through designated agents and third-party retail locations such as shops, keep internet sales within Missouri, and require producers to tell buyers the food is not inspected [2]. It would also drop the current law's word "canned" [2]. Only the introduced text was reviewed; whether the bill passed was not confirmed. Until DHSS says otherwise, follow the current statute.
Shops, wholesale and a licensed kitchen
Current law allows sales only directly to consumers, so shops and wholesale are out [1]. No state source reviewed describes the license for a commercial jam kitchen in Missouri; ask DHSS and your local health department, and see moving to a licensed kitchen.
Getting a written answer from DHSS
DHSS administers RSMo 196.298 [1]. No official DHSS cottage food page was found in this review, so contact the department directly and ask for answers in writing. Last checked in October 2026.
Pricing jam sold from your door
When every sale happens at home, price and presentation do the selling; start with how to price jam.
References
- National Agricultural Law Center, Missouri cottage food statute RSMo 196.298 (state compilation), April 2025 (document not dated). https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/cottagefood/Missouri.pdf
- Missouri House of Representatives, HB 3108, 103rd General Assembly, Second Regular Session (2026), introduced. https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/6777H.01I.pdf
