Cottage Food Law Won't Cover Your Meals. This Plan Shows You the Four Paths That Will.
A refrigerated meal is a TCS food that falls outside cottage food exemptions in nearly every state — which is why most people who try to start a meal prep business from a home kitchen get stopped before they take an order. This plan lays out the four legal paths, starting with the personal chef route that can launch for under $500, and the FDA cooling rule that governs the highest-risk step in the business: 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then to 41°F within four more.
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Built From Real Numbers
Built around the commissary throughput math that decides whether the business works: at $25 an hour for kitchen time, 80 meals a day costs $2.50 a meal in rent, while 30 meals a day costs $6.67 and puts you near the break-even line.
Covers the pre-order system that eliminates food waste and fixes cash flow — payment at order, cooking only to a confirmed count — and the pricing table showing why $8 meals lose against food cost while $12 to $15 meals work.
What's Inside
- The four legal paths to selling prepared meals: personal chef, commissary rental, licensed caterer, or a home kitchen permit where offered
- The exact six questions to ask your county health department before you spend a dollar
- FDA cold-chain temperature rules for cooling, holding, and reheating, with a cooling log template
- A kitchen throughput calculator to find your real cost per meal
- Pricing guidance built around 25–35% food cost and package pricing for 5-, 10-, and 15-meal weeks
- A weekly pre-order production sheet to track orders against batch yield and food cost
- Labeling requirements — allergens, prep date, use-by date, and reheating instructions
- A 90-day launch plan tracking meals produced per rented kitchen hour
