House Bill 4122 of 2025 (Public Act 51 of 2025)
HB 4122 amends Michigan’s food law to revise the rules governing cottage food operations and cottage food products. The bill keeps cottage food operations exempt from the state’s licensing and routine evaluation requirements, but it updates the statutory definitions and operating rules for home-based food businesses. It clarifies what qualifies as a cottage food product, continues to require prepackaged and properly labeled products, and preserves the warning label stating the food was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The bill also expands how cottage food products may be sold. In addition to direct sales, it allows internet or mail-order sales and delivery through third-party food delivery platforms, so long as the consumer has an opportunity to directly interact with the cottage food operation before purchase. Those sales and deliveries must remain within Michigan. The bill maintains annual gross sales limits, including a higher cap for products sold at $250 or more per unit, and authorizes future inflation-based adjustments beginning October 1, 2026. It also allows optional registration through the MSU Product Center, with a unique registration number and a capped one-time fee, while making registration records confidential under FOIA.
In state law terms, the bill amends sections 1105, 1111, and 4102 of the Michigan Food Law of 2000. It adds and updates definitions such as cottage food operation, cottage food product, third-party food delivery platform, and related food-establishment terms, while preserving existing food safety and adulteration standards. The practical effect is to modernize the cottage food framework for small-scale home producers, especially by recognizing online and platform-based sales and by tying sales thresholds to inflation over time.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable. The House passed immediate effect by a wide margin, and later House and Senate votes were overwhelmingly positive, indicating broad bipartisan support for the cottage food changes. The bill’s progression suggests lawmakers generally viewed it as a practical update that supports small food entrepreneurs without removing consumer-protection safeguards.
The main points of contention are limited and appear to center on how far to expand cottage food sales while preserving oversight. The bill retains restrictions on wholesale and consignment sales, requires direct interaction before online or delivery sales, and keeps products limited to Michigan consumers, reflecting concern about food safety and traceability. Another possible issue is the optional MSU Product Center registration system and the confidentiality of those records, which may raise questions about administrative burden and transparency, though the recorded votes do not show significant opposition.
HB 4122 amends the Michigan Food Law of 2000 by revising statutory definitions and operating requirements for cottage food operations, cottage food products, retail food terms, and related delivery concepts. It preserves the exemption from licensing and routine evaluation for cottage food operations, but continues to subject them to adulteration, labeling, and other food-safety standards. The bill also authorizes direct-to-consumer internet, mail-order, and third-party delivery sales within Michigan, maintains and indexes sales caps, and allows optional registration through the MSU Product Center with a confidential record system.
The bill appears to have received broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. The House approved immediate effect by a large margin, and later House and Senate third-reading votes were also overwhelmingly favorable. That voting pattern suggests lawmakers generally viewed the measure as a reasonable modernization of cottage food rules that supports small home-based food businesses while preserving consumer protections.
The likely areas of concern involve balancing expanded market access for cottage food producers against food-safety oversight and consumer protection. The bill permits online and third-party delivery sales only if the consumer can directly interact with the producer first, and it limits sales to Michigan consumers, showing caution about remote sales. The optional MSU Product Center registration program and the FOIA exemption for registration information could also be points of debate, but the recorded votes indicate these issues did not generate major resistance.