CSU COTTAGE FOOD UPDATE CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE
The “Tamale Act” goes into effect January 1, 2027 and affects all who sell food products (including honey!) under the Cottage Food Act. You MUST take an update class to be eligible to continue selling under the Act and get the required registration number from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE). Those who took the Cottage Food Safety Training classes through CSU Extension in 2026 should receive an email with information on how to take the update class for FREE. For more information contact the CSU Cottage Food Safety program at cottagefoods@colostate.edu. If your training was with a different organization, contact that other organization about what updates they will be offering in light of this change in the law.
COTTAGE FOOD ACT CHANGES effective January 1, 2027
On June 4, 2026, Governor Polis signed the “Tamale Act” which modifies the Cottage Food law and some of those changes affect honey producers. The bill’s effective date is January 1, 2027. Here is a link to the legislature’s site with the text of the bill.
The bill’s primary purpose was to allow sales of heat sensitive foods under Cottage Food rules. It affects honey producers as follows (in addition to rules already in place):
(1) The dollar amount to qualify as “cottage food” has been increased to $150,000 in GROSS annual receipts. (The prior rule allowed you to count NET income.) This amount will be adjusted annually for inflation.
(2) The state health department is going to establish a registration system for cottage food producers, and you will have to apply for a registration number under that system. As of this writing that system has not been set up and we have no information about what fees (if any) or paperwork will be required. CSBA will update you with that information when it becomes available.
(3) Labeling requirements will change to require that you put that registration number (rather than your home address) on the label. The label must also include (a) the COUNTY where you produced the product, (b) your email address and phone number, and (c) the state’s website where consumers can look up your registration and rules for filing complaints.
NOTE that you still have to take the food safety course. If you recently took a food safety class from the Colorado Extension Service, they should be offering an updated class at no extra charge, so be on the lookout for a notice about that.