Raw and roasted nuts, seeds, and nut butters sold direct to Iowa customers
Plain, roasted, or candied nuts and seeds are dry, non-TCS goods and fit Iowa's cottage food exemption without a license; most nut butters qualify too if they stay shelf-stable.
Tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame are three of the nine major food allergens — make sure your label calls them out clearly, and disclose any shared-equipment cross-contact risk even though that's a best practice beyond the bare legal minimum.
Add your contact info, the common name, full ingredients, and the exemption statement, and keep every sale direct-to-consumer.
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Raw/roasted nuts and seeds | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Nut and seed butters (shelf-stable) | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Labeling | Name/contact, common name, ingredients, allergens, exemption statement | Iowa Code 137F.20(2) |
| Allergen disclosure | Tree nuts, peanuts, sesame are major allergens | FDA / Iowa Code 137F.20(2)(d) |
| Wholesale sales | Requires a licensed food establishment | DIAL |
Iowa's cottage food law requires disclosing major allergens actually contained in the food; a voluntary "may contain" cross-contact statement is a widely recommended best practice on top of that, especially if you process multiple nut types in the same kitchen.
Yes, as long as the finished product is shelf-stable and properly labeled with all added ingredients.
Both are treated the same under Iowa's cottage food rules as long as they're shelf-stable; the difference matters more for allergen labeling specificity (peanut vs. specific tree nuts).
That's a wholesale transaction and falls outside cottage food's direct-to-consumer requirement — you'd need a licensed food establishment arrangement instead.