What is covered and what needs another path
Covered
- Pasteurized dairy (cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream) from a permitted facility
- Cream or custard pastries made with pasteurized milk
- Raw milk sold as animal feed, LDAF-registered, with the required warning
Needs a different path
- Cottage-style cheese, yogurt or butter
- Raw milk sold or marketed for human consumption
- Any label or listing that says "for human consumption"
Three compliance steps
A
Choose your path
Human dairy needs a licensed plant or co-packer with pasteurization. Raw milk is lawful only as registered feed (Act 699).
B
Label exactly
Human dairy: ingredients, allergens, net weight. Raw feed milk: the full "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" warning and "Raw (Species) Milk" on the front panel.
C
Test, record, tax
Raw feed milk needs a monthly salmonella test, kept two years. Register for sales tax with the state and parish.
Quick reference
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese, yogurt, butter | Permitted dairy plant; not cottage-eligible | LDH / LDAF |
| Ice cream | Processing permit path; confirm with LDH | LDH |
| Cream or custard pastry | Allowed only with pasteurized milk | LDH |
| Raw milk as feed | Feed registration; warning label; species panel | LDAF |
| Raw milk testing | Salmonella monthly; records kept 2 years | LDAF |
| Outbreak suspension | Commissioner may suspend sale or movement | LDAF |
FAQ
Can I make cheese at home to sell?
Not under the cottage exemption. Use a permitted facility.
Can I sell raw milk for people to drink?
No. Act 699 covers raw milk only as feed. Sources describing human sales reflect earlier bill drafts.
Can a marketplace list raw milk?
Only as feed, with LDAF registration and the exact warning. Get legal review first.
Checklist
- Path chosen: pasteurized or feed
- Pasteurized inputs for human dairy
- LDAF feed registration for raw milk
- Exact warning label printed
- Monthly salmonella test
- Results kept two years
- Tax registered