How do I start selling homemade jam in Nebraska?
Updated
On this page7
Nebraska's cottage food law covers jam, with one condition you will not see in most states: University of Nebraska-Lincoln's cottage food program says "Traditional jams and jellies can be sold, as long as they are made using pectin" [3]. You register with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) before your first sale, which is free and done online, after completing an accredited food safety course [2] [1]. There is no sales limit [2], jars may go by mail or carrier [1], and every label and sales point carries Nebraska's not-inspected notice [1]. The steps below take you from course to first sale, then cover the products the law leaves out.
From course to first sale
- Take an approved food safety course. NDA requires "an accredited food safety and handling course" before you register [1]. UNL lists three kinds that count: a nationally accredited food safety and handling course, a certified course at a culinary school, or a course approved by NDA [3].
- Test your well, if you have one. Registration asks for "proof of private well water testing for contamination by nitrate or bacteria if the producer uses private well water" [3].
- Register with NDA. UNL says registration "is free and can be completed online in a few minutes" [2]. NDA describes it as "a one-time registration showing the producer has completed the necessary steps" [1]. Your business name, your name and your certification dates appear on NDA's public cottage food producer list within 10 days [1].
- Write your label (below).
- Post the notice on your website, in your advertising, at your home and at every sales location [1].
- Check your market's own rules. Farmers markets may set vendor requirements beyond the state's [3].
Which jams qualify
| Product | What the Nebraska sources say |
|---|---|
| Traditional jam or jelly made with pectin | Allowed [3] |
| Pepper jelly | UNL: "pepper jelly must have pureed peppers and no chunks" [3]; see the caution below |
| Other home-canned foods | "No other home canned foods" [3]; low-acid canned food and hermetically sealed acidified food are excluded [1] |
| Low-sugar jam, fruit butters, preserves, freezer jam | Not addressed in the sources reviewed; ask NDA |
The pectin condition is unusual. Old-fashioned jams set by long cooking with no added pectin, and many marmalades, rely on the fruit's own pectin. Whether NDA treats those as "traditional jams" is a question to put to the department in writing. When a jam needs added pectin is covered on whether to add pectin.
A caution on pepper jelly. UNL's pureed-pepper rule sits beside the exclusion of "hermetically sealed acidified food" [1] [3], and a sealed jar of pepper jelly is made by acidifying low-acid peppers. Get NDA's answer for your recipe before you sell it. See pepper jelly. Never sell canned pumpkin butter; see pumpkin butter.
Where and how jars can reach buyers
You may sell from your home, for pickup or delivery, and at farmers markets, fairs, festivals, craft shows and other public events [1]. Jam is not a time and temperature controlled food, so "it can be delivered by United States mail or another commercial delivery service" [1]. UNL describes online and mail order sales "in Nebraska or to states where is it legal to mail cottage foods" [2], which means the buyer's state decides whether your jar may arrive there. Shipping patterns are compared on selling jam online.
"Cottage food is not permitted for wholesale to restaurants, grocery stores or other retail establishments" [1]. A licensed route for shop sales is not described in the sources reviewed; ask NDA.
UNL says Nebraska producers can sell "with no sales limit" [2].
The Nebraska label and notice
NDA asks for the producer's name and address or PO box, ingredients in descending order of predominance, and this notice: "This food was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by the regulatory authority and may contain allergens" [1]. Sources differ slightly. UNL's main page gives the wording as "not subject to regulation and inspection by a regulatory authority," and UNL's 2024 producer letter says the address "needs to be the specific mailing address where you can be contacted" [2] [3]. Use NDA's wording and a mailing address where customers can reach you. The federal elements are on what a jam label must say.
Questions for NDA
Contact NDA's Food Safety and Consumer Protection program with your questions, and keep the answers in writing. The official source is NDA's Cottage Food Program document [1], with UNL's cottage food site [2]. The rules above were last verified in October 2026.
Mailing jars from Nebraska
Nebraska lets non-TCS cottage food go by mail or carrier, so packing becomes part of the job. Shipping jam covers boxes and breakage, and postage belongs in the price you set on how to price jam.
References
- Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Cottage Food Program (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-2,280), not dated; viewed October 2026. https://nda.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/promotion/feature/Cottage%20Food%20Program.pdf
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Cottage Food Law, not dated (reflects LB 262, effective July 19, 2024); viewed October 2026. https://cottagefoodlaw.unl.edu
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dear Cottage Food Producers: LB262 Takes Effect July 19, 2024, July 2024. https://cottagefoodlaw.unl.edu/news/lb262-takes-effect-july-19-2024/
