U.S. Department of Labor 

Wage and Hour Division 

 (Revised July 2008) 

Fact Sheet #58: Cooking and Baking under the Federal Youth Employment 

Provisions of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) 

This fact sheet provides general information concerning cooking and baking activities under the federal youth 

employment provisions. For detailed information about the federal youth employment provisions, please read 

Regulations, 29 CFR Part 570. 

The Department of Labor is committed to helping young workers find positive, appropriate and safe 

employment experiences. The youth employment provisions of the FLSA were enacted to ensure that when 

young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities. 

Minimum Age Standards for Employment 

The FLSA and the youth employment regulations, issued at 29 CFR Part 570, establish both hours and 

occupational standards for youth. Youth of any age are generally permitted to work for businesses entirely 

owned by their parents, except those under 16 may not be employed in mining or manufacturing and no one 

under 18 may be employed in any occupation the Secretary of Labor has declared to be hazardous. 

18 Years of Age Once a youth reaches 18 years of age, he or she is no longer subject to the federal youth 

employment provisions. 

16 & 17 Years of 

Age 

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation other 

than those declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. Examples of equipment 

declared hazardous and often used by cooks and bakers include power-driven meat 

processing machines (meat slicers, meat saws, patty-forming machines, meat grinders, 

and meat choppers), commercial mixers and certain power-driven bakery machines. 

Employees under 18 years of age are not permitted to operate, feed, set-up, adjust, repair, 

or clean any of these machines. 

14 & 15 Years of 

Age 

Fourteen- and 15- year-olds may be employed in food preparation, but they may not 

perform any baking activities and only limited cooking tasks. There are also restrictions 

on the number of hours and times of day that these minors may be employed. See Fact 

Sheet No. 43 in this series (Youth Employment Provisions for Nonagricultural 

Occupations) for information about these hours standards. The rules regarding what 

cooking tasks 14- and 15-year-olds may legally perform were revised by the U. S. 

Department of Labor, effective February 14, 2005. The following charts highlight the 

changes in these rules. 

Youth Employment Rules for Cooking by

14- and 15-Year-Olds AFTER February 

13, 2005 

Youth Employment Rules for Cooking by

14- and 15-Year-Olds PRIOR to 

February 14, 2005 

Cooking by this age group may be 

performed out of the view of the public. 

Cooking by this age group had to be 

performed “in plain view” of the public. 
Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may perform 

only that cooking which involves the use of 

(1) electric or gas grilles that do not entail 

cooking over an open flame, and (2) deep 

fat fryers that are equipped with and utilize 

devices that automatically lower and raise 

the baskets into and out of the oil or grease. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds could only do 

light cooking, including using grilles and 

deep fat fryers, that was performed in plain 

view of the public. 

This age group may not cook with NEICO 

broilers, fryolators, rotisseries, or pressure 

cookers. 

This age group could not cook with NEICO 

broilers, fryolators, rotisseries, or pressure 

cookers. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may perform 

kitchen work and other work involved in 

preparing and serving food and beverages, 

including the operation of machines and 

devices used in the performance of such 

work, such as but not limited to dishwashers, toasters, dumbwaiters, popcorn 

poppers, milk shake blenders, coffee 

grinders, devices used to maintain the 

temperature of prepared foods (such as 

warmers, steam tables, and heat lamps), and 

microwave ovens that are used only to 

warm prepared food and do not have the 

capacity to warm above 140° F. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds could perform 

kitchen work and other work involved in 

preparing and serving food and beverages, 

including the operation of machines and 

devices used in the performance of such 

work, such as but not limited to dishwashers, toasters, dumbwaiters, popcorn 

poppers, milk shake blenders, coffee 

grinders, devices used to maintain the 

temperature of prepared foods (such as 

warmers, steam tables, and heat lamps), and 

microwave ovens that are used only to 

warm prepared food and do not have the 

capacity to warm above 140° F. 

This age group is prohibited from operating, 

setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling, or 

repairing power-driven food slicers and 

grinders, food choppers, and cutters, and 

bakery type mixers. 

This age group was prohibited from 

operating, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, 

oiling, or repairing power-driven food 

slicers and grinders, food choppers, and 

cutters, and bakery type mixers. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are prohibited 

from performing any occupations declared 

hazardous for workers 16 and 17 years of 

age (described above). 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds were prohibited 

from performing any occupations declared 

hazardous for workers 16 and 17 years of 

age (described above). 

This age group may clean kitchen surfaces 

and non-power-driven kitchen equipment, 

but only when the temperatures of the 

surfaces and equipment do not exceed 

100°F. 

This age group was prohibited from 

cleaning power-driven equipment. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may filter, 

transport, and dispose of oil and grease, but 

only if the temperature of such materials 

does not exceed 100°F. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds could filter, 

transport and dispose of oil and grease 

without any restrictions. 

This age group may not perform work in a 

freezer or meat cooler. 

This age group was prohibited from 

performing work in a freezer or meat cooler.
Youth Employment Rules for Baking by 

14- and 15-Year-Olds AFTER February 

13, 2005 

Youth Employment Rules for Baking 14- 

and 15-Year-Olds PRIOR to February 

14, 2005 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may not be 

employed to perform any part of the baking 

process, such as weighing and mixing 

ingredients; placing or assembling products 

in pans or on trays; operating ovens, 

including convection ovens, microwave 

ovens (except those used for warming food 

as described above), pizza ovens, and 

automatic feeding ovens; removing items 

from ovens; placing items on cooling trays; 

and finishing baked products. 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds could not be 

employed to perform any part of the baking 

process, such as weighing and mixing 

ingredients; placing or assembling products 

in pans or on trays; operating ovens, 

including convection ovens, microwave 

ovens (except those used for warming food 

as described above), pizza ovens, and 

automatic feeding ovens; removing items 

from ovens; placing items on cooling trays; 

and finishing baked products. 

Where to Obtain Additional Information 

For more information on the FLSA youth employment provisions, including a complete list of all 

hazardous occupation orders, visit the YouthRules! Web site at www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

For additional information on the Fair Labor Standards Act, visit the Wage and Hour Division Web site: 

http://www.wagehour.dol.gov and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

in your time zone, 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). 

When state youth employment laws differ from the federal provisions, an employer must comply with the 

higher standard. Links to your state labor department can be found at www.dol.gov/whd/contacts/state_of.htm. 

This publication is for general information and is not to be considered in the same light as official statements of 

position contained in the regulations.

U.S. Department of Labor

Frances Perkins Building 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

1-866-4-USWAGE

 TTY: 1-866-487-9243

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