How to label homemade marshmallows for sale
Homemade marshmallows feel gourmet and sell like it, once the label is right. Here is what a bag of marshmallows needs before it changes hands.
What your marshmallows label needs
- ✓Product name. The common name of the food, so a buyer knows what it is.
- ✓Net quantity. Marshmallows are sold by count and net weight, for example 9 marshmallows, 7 oz.
- ✓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 marshmallows
Plain marshmallows usually carry no major allergens, but some recipes whip in egg white, and dustings or coatings can add wheat, milk, or soy. Still check every ingredient against the nine majors (milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame), because add-ins can introduce one. Your “Contains” line should reflect what is actually in your recipe.
Nutripane reads the allergens from your ingredients automatically, so the Contains line matches your recipe.
Do you need a Nutrition Facts panel for marshmallows?
Homemade marshmallows 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.
Can you sell marshmallows as a cottage food?
Marshmallows are shelf-stable and usually allowed as a cottage food, but a few states are stricter about gelatin-set confections. Confirm yours qualifies with your state.
One thing sellers miss on marshmallows
List the gelatin and any dusting like cornstarch or powdered sugar. If your recipe whips in egg white instead of gelatin, egg becomes a listed allergen.
Questions
Can I sell homemade marshmallows?
In many states, yes, because marshmallows are shelf-stable. Confirm your state's cottage food program allows gelatin-set confections, then label with the product name, net weight, ingredients, any allergen line, your business name and address, and the home-kitchen disclaimer.
Do marshmallows have allergens?
Plain gelatin marshmallows often carry none of the nine majors, but check your recipe. Some use egg white, which is an allergen, and coatings or dustings can add wheat, milk, or soy. List whatever is actually in yours.
Where to sell your marshmallows
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.