Posted July 25, 2026
You may have noticed the disclosure on our Contact page: “Honey’s Baking Company is a Florida cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.” If that gave you pause, good. You should always know who’s making your food. Here’s exactly what it means.
What Florida’s Cottage Food Law Actually Allows
Florida’s Cottage Food Law (Fla. Stat. Section 500.80) allows home-based food businesses to sell certain low-risk foods, like baked goods, directly to consumers without a commercial kitchen license. Sales must stay under a set annual revenue cap, and the products can’t require refrigeration. Cookies are a textbook example of what the law was written for.
“Not Subject to State Regulations” Doesn’t Mean Unregulated
“Not subject to state food safety regulations” doesn’t mean unregulated, it means differently regulated. Cottage food operations still follow labeling laws, allergen disclosure rules, and the underlying law’s safety intent. What it does mean is Honey isn’t operating out of a commercial facility inspected the same way a restaurant is. She’s baking in a home kitchen, at a smaller scale, the way cottage bakers across the state legally do.
Meet Honey: 35+ Years in Food Service
Honey brings more to that home kitchen than most. She’s been in the food service industry for over 35 years. At 20, she started out owning a sandwich shop in Los Angeles, making daily deliveries to the courthouses and federal buildings across downtown L.A. For 17 of those 35 years, she was also an operational partner of a resort hotel and fine dining restaurant. Today she holds a Florida Food Handler Certificate and is a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). These are credentials she carries into every batch she bakes.
Why This Matters for a Lactation Cookie Business
The ingredients that matter most to you in a lactation cookie (organic sourcing, real galactagogues, no synthetic additives) are choices Honey makes that go beyond what cottage food law requires. The disclosure is a legal requirement of transparency. The quality of what’s actually in the cookie is a business choice, and it’s the one we’d want you to judge us on.
One Real Limitation: Florida-Only Shipping
Cottage food law requires direct-to-consumer sales within the state. That’s exactly why Honey’s Baking Company currently ships only within Florida.
Questions about ingredients, sourcing, or the cottage food designation? Reach out any time at honeysbc.com/contact.