What jam can I sell from home in South Carolina?

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated October 2026

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The recipe rule, read closely Shops yes, restaurants only with a variance The label, in capitals Beyond the home law SCDA for the rules, Clemson for the recipes Pricing for markets and grocery shelves References

Full-sugar fruit jam, jelly and preserves made from a science-based recipe, with no license. South Carolina's home-based food production law, S.C. Code § 44-1-143, run by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), allows jams and jellies "Made using a standardized science-based (See appendix B) recipe with acidic fruit, sugar, and pectin" [1]. That recipe rule is the condition everything else hangs on, and it shuts out low-sugar jams and anything with peppers, tomatoes, figs or mint [1]. In exchange, South Carolina lets you sell to grocery stores, and sets no sales cap [1].

The recipe rule, read closely

SCDA's 2025 guidance puts the allowed and excluded jams side by side [1]. Allowed: jams, jellies and preserves from a standardized, science-based recipe using acidic fruit, sugar and pectin. Not allowed: those "Made from low-sugar or no sugar recipes or low acid ingredients (peppers, tomatoes, figs, mint, etc.)" [1].

Three things follow.

The source of the recipe matters. SCDA warns against recipes from social media, websites or other people unless you can verify they come from a science-based source, and its Appendix B names the National Center for Home Food Preservation, So Easy to Preserve and the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning as examples [1]. Keep the book and page for every recipe you sell. What you may change in such a recipe is covered on what you can change in a tested recipe.
Some standard jams are excluded anyway. Tomato is on the federal list of jam fruits (see how much fruit the law requires in jam), but SCDA names tomatoes and figs as low-acid ingredients that disqualify a recipe [1]. Mint jelly is out for the same reason.
Sugar is part of the recipe, so low-sugar is out. Sugar-free, low-sugar and sugar-substitute recipes do not qualify [1].

Product	South Carolina status
Full-sugar fruit jam, jelly or preserves from a science-based recipe	Allowed [1]
Low-sugar, no-sugar or sugar-substitute jam	Not allowed [1]
Pepper jelly	Not allowed [1]
Tomato, fig or mint jam or jelly	Not allowed [1]
Pumpkin butter	Not allowed; pumpkin is barred "in any form except as an ingredient that is baked into a thin cookie" [1]
Apple or other fruit butter	Not addressed; ask Clemson or SCDA
Freezer jam	Not addressed; ask Clemson or SCDA
Your own jam baked into your own pastries	Allowed; home-made jam may be used in home-baked products [1]

The pattern across other states for these products is on preserves cottage food laws often exclude.

Shops yes, restaurants only with a variance

South Carolina's home law reaches further into retail than most [1]:

Channel	Rule
Direct to consumers, in person	Allowed
Online and mail order	Allowed, delivered only within South Carolina
Retail stores, including grocery stores	Allowed; the store must post a clearly visible sign saying the home-based products are not subject to commercial food regulations
Restaurants	Only if the restaurant obtains an SCDA-approved variance
Buyers in other states	Not covered; the law "is only applicable to sales intrastate," and products crossing state lines fall under FDA rules
Sales cap	None

There is one twist for very small sellers. An operation netting less than $1,500 a year may skip the law's labeling and other provisions, but then it may not sell at retail locations, and the producer must be physically present and sell directly to the end consumer [1]. Kitchen practices such as supervision, keeping pets out and sanitation still apply [1]. If you want shelf space in a store, label fully from the start. Approaching store buyers is covered on selling jam to shops and cafés.

The label, in capitals

The jar needs your name and address or an SCDA ID number, the standard name of the product, ingredients in descending order by weight, the food source of each major allergen (or a disclaimer), no health claims, and this statement in capital letters, in a color that "provides a clear contrast to the background" [1] [2]:

"PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS."

The SCDA ID number is voluntary. Apply to SCDA Retail Food Safety and Compliance at homebasedfoods@scda.sc.gov if you would rather not print your home address on jars sitting in a grocery store [1]. A Nutrition Facts panel is not required unless you make nutrient or health claims [1]. The federal elements are on what a jam label must say.

Beyond the home law

Pepper jelly, low-sugar spreads and fig jam need a permitted kitchen. SCDA's guidance says foods outside the home law must be made in a commercial kitchen under a Retail Food Establishment permit (SC Regulation 61-25), and that wholesale sales need an SCDA Registration Verification Certificate [1]. The step is covered on when you need a licensed kitchen.

SCDA for the rules, Clemson for the recipes

The agency is the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Retail Food Safety and Compliance, 350 Ballard Court, West Columbia, SC 29172, homebasedfoods@scda.sc.gov [1]. Clemson Extension answers guidance questions at sccottagefood@clemson.edu, and SCDA's guidance points readers there for products it does not address, such as freezer jam [1]. Ask before you sell a fruit butter. Last checked in October 2026.

Pricing for markets and grocery shelves

Because a South Carolina grocery can stock your jam, set a wholesale price that still covers fruit and time. How to price jam works through both prices, and shelf presentation covers how a jar holds its own beside the posted sign on a grocery shelf.