How to label homemade chocolate for sale
Bars, bark, and truffles move well at markets, but chocolate hides more ingredients than it shows. Here is what a chocolate label needs before you sell it.
What your chocolate label needs
- ✓Product name. The common name of the food, so a buyer knows what it is.
- ✓Net quantity. Chocolate is sold by net weight, for example a 4 oz bar.
- ✓Ingredient list. Every ingredient, listed heaviest-first by weight.
- ✓Allergen statement. A “Contains” line for any of the nine major allergens in your recipe.
- ✓Business name and address. Who made the food and where they can be reached.
- ✓Home-kitchen disclaimer. The cottage food sentence your state requires you to print.
Allergens to watch in chocolate
In chocolate, the allergens to watch are usually milk, soy, and often tree nuts or peanuts; a may contain line is common for chocolate made on shared equipment. Your “Contains” line should reflect what is actually in your recipe, not a generic list.
Nutripane reads the allergens from your ingredients automatically, so the Contains line matches your recipe.
Do you need a Nutrition Facts panel for chocolate?
Home-made chocolate confections are usually exempt from the Nutrition Facts panel as a cottage food, unless you make a nutrition claim or sell wholesale.
Nutripane builds the Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient, allergen, and disclaimer label from your recipe, so you are ready whether you need the panel or not.
One thing sellers miss on chocolate
Chocolate is a compound ingredient. If you buy couverture, list its sub-ingredients such as cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla.
Questions
How do I label homemade chocolate for sale?
Show the product name, net weight, a full ingredient list including the chocolate's sub-ingredients, an allergen Contains line, your business name and address, and your state's home-kitchen disclaimer. A Nutrition Facts panel is usually optional for cottage food.
Do I have to declare soy in chocolate?
If your chocolate contains soy lecithin, then yes, soy goes on the Contains line. Most couverture and chips include it. Read the label of the chocolate you buy and carry its allergens through to your own label.
Where to sell your chocolate
Where you sell decides whether you need a full Nutrition Facts panel. Here is what each channel expects.
Guides to get you started
Labeling another food?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Food labeling and cottage food rules vary by state and county and change over time. Confirm current requirements with your state's cottage food program before you sell. See your state's rules or another product.