Dry spice blends are among the easiest cottage foods: they're dry, they keep, and there's nothing to cook. California's approved list names herb blends and dried mole paste; Michigan's law names dry mixes and dried herbs; Minnesota covers food that isn't potentially hazardous; and North Dakota allows sales straight to the customer. Where it changes is when the blend stops being dry: a fresh herb paste, a garlic oil or a wet marinade needs refrigeration and is a different food. And a blend still needs a label that lists every spice by name, or as "spice" where the rules allow, with any allergen declared, such as wheat in a taco seasoning.
The short version
- Dry spice blends and dried herbs fit cottage food laws in the four states here.
- California names herb blends; Michigan names dry mixes and dried herbs.
- Fresh herb pastes, garlic oils and wet marinades need refrigeration.
- Those are out in Michigan, Minnesota and California.
- Label every blend: ingredients, net weight, allergens.
- Grind and blend in small batches; dates matter for flavor.
- TaroStack keeps each blend as a recipe and each batch's lot. More below.
Spices, state by state
| Product | Michigan | Minnesota | North Dakota | California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbecue rub | Yes | Yes, registered | Yes | Yes, on the list |
| Dried oregano from the garden | Yes | Yes, registered | Yes | Yes, on the list |
| Taco seasoning with wheat flour | Yes | Yes, registered | Yes | Yes, on the list |
| Fresh basil pesto | No: needs temperature control | No: potentially hazardous | Frozen, with labels | No: not on the list |
What the label needs is in spice labeling requirements, and the business year in spice business plan.
The rules
| State | Rule |
|---|---|
| Michigan | Food that isn't time/temperature control for safety, including jams, candy, dried fruit, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, dried herbs and baked goods; not meat or poultry, milk products, beverages, salsa, or canned foods other than standardized jams (MCL 289.1105(k)); prepackaged, labeled with the home kitchen statement, sold straight to the consumer (MCL 289.4102) |
| Minnesota | Food that isn't potentially hazardous, and home-canned pickles, vegetables or fruits at pH 4.6 or lower or water activity 0.85 or less; registration every year and approved food safety training (Minn. Stat. 28A.152) |
| North Dakota | No state license for cottage food sold directly to an informed end consumer; foods that need refrigeration labeled with safe handling instructions and as transported and maintained frozen; no uninspected meat, poultry only from the seller's own birds (N.D.C.C. 23-09.5-02) |
| California | Cottage foods are nonpotentially hazardous foods on the approved list, among them baked goods without cream, custard or meat fillings, candy, chocolate-covered nonperishables, dried fruit, dried pasta, granola, herb blends, honey, standardized jams, nut butters, popcorn, vinegar and mustard, roasted coffee and dried tea (HSC 114365.5); Class A sells directly, Class B also through shops and restaurants (HSC 113758) |
This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: a California spice blender
Sierra Spice Works, a made-up home spice blender in Sacramento, California, registered a Class A cottage food operation and sells rubs and taco seasoning at a Saturday market. The taco seasoning has a little wheat flour, so its label says "Contains: wheat". A customer asked for fresh pesto; that needs refrigeration and isn't on the approved list, so it stayed off. A butcher shop asked to stock the rubs; that's an indirect sale, which takes a Class B permit, and the blender applied. California's two classes are in California cottage food law.
Get the checker
Download the home spice checker. Two sheets: your products, whether each needs refrigeration, is meat or poultry, a milk product, a canned food other than jam, or a drink, and whether it's on California's list; how Michigan's, Minnesota's, North Dakota's and California's cottage food laws treat it fill in; and each state's rules as read for this article. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
A dozen blends from 30 spices, each bought in its own lot, is a shelf of jars with dates in marker. When a supplier recalls a lot of paprika, finding which blends it went into takes the whole afternoon.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each blend as a recipe and each batch's lot, back to the spice lots it used.
Blends as recipes. Each blend is a recipe by weight, costed from what its spices cost.
Batches by lot. Each batch records which spice lots it used and how many jars it filled.
Recalls. If a spice lot is recalled, one report shows every blend and customer it reached.
| The job | Paper | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| What a blend costs | A guess | True cost from the recipe |
| Which paprika went into a batch | Not recorded | Batches by lot |
| Who got a recalled lot | Market memory | One recall report |
Recipes, batches and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.