Dried fruit, dehydrated vegetables, dry mixes, and snack foods sold direct in Iowa
Dried goods qualify as non-TCS cottage food when their finished water activity is low enough to prevent pathogen growth — don't assume dryness alone is proof; measure it with a water activity meter if there's any doubt.
List every ingredient by descending weight, your contact information, the common food name, allergen flags, and the exemption statement required on all Iowa cottage food labels.
Farmers markets, on-farm sales, online orders shipped within Iowa, and personal delivery are all fine; supplying a retail shelf or distributor is not.
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Dried fruit, veggie chips, dehydrated snacks | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Dry mixes (soup, pancake, baking) | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Granola, trail mix, dry candy | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Labeling | Name/contact, common name, ingredients, allergens, exemption statement | Iowa Code 137F.20(2) |
| Meat- or dairy-inclusive dried products | Falls under Meats or Dairy rules instead | IDALS |
Iowa's cottage food statute requires batch testing specifically for home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruit; for other dried goods, verifying your process reliably hits a safe moisture level is still the safety-minded practice even where it isn't spelled out as a per-batch legal mandate.
No — jerky containing meat is regulated under Iowa's meat inspection law (chapter 189A), not the cottage food dried-goods exemption, regardless of how shelf-stable it is.
Those fall under the Pet Food/Treats category and Iowa's Commercial Feed Law, not cottage food — see that guide.
No specific ingredient cap, but every ingredient must be listed and any major allergen clearly flagged on the label.