Honey labeling: what a jar of honey must say

Honey label requirements in one table

Honey labeling follows FDA's general food labeling rules plus a short FDA guidance written for honey alone. The guidance, dated March 2018, covers how to name honey, when you can name a flower, and how to label blends, and notes that other labeling requirements (e.g., net weight, nutrition facts) apply. FDA guidance is recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited, and the honey guidance cites the law and regulations behind each answer.

The table lists what a label on a jar of pure honey needs, where each item goes, and the rule behind it.

Label statements go either all on the principal display panel, or some on it and the rest on the information panel. Statements that can sit on the information panel are the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, the ingredient list, nutrition labeling and any required allergy labeling. Required text there uses letters at least 1/16 inch in height.

How to name your honey and when to name the flower

If the jar holds nothing but honey, the name on the label is honey. FDA's guidance says a food that contains only honey must be named “honey”, which is its common or usual name. Because it is one ingredient, you do not need an ingredient statement.

Naming the flower is optional: you do not have to declare the floral source. If you do name one, the plant or blossom on the label must be the chief floral source of the honey. FDA lists names such as “Orange Blossom Honey,” “Clover Honey,” or “Wild Flower Honey” as acceptable. Any claim about the floral source must be truthful and not misleading.

Words such as raw, pure, local or unfiltered are also claims about the food. The same law applies: a food is misbranded if its labeling is false or misleading in any particular. FDA's honey guidance does not define these words, so describe your honey only in ways you can back up, and check whether your state has its own rules.

Labeling honey blends and flavored honey

A product made of honey and another sweetener is not honey for labeling purposes. FDA's guidance says it cannot be labeled with the common or usual name “honey”. The name has to describe the mix instead.

Honey with an added flavor follows a similar rule. If the label shows or suggests the flavor, the name says so, for example “raspberry-flavored honey”, and the ingredient list shows “honey” and “natural flavor”.

FDA treats a jar labeled only as honey that contains sugar or corn syrup as adulterated, and a jar labeled only as honey with a hidden flavoring as misbranded.

How to write the net weight on a honey jar

Honey is thick, so the net quantity is a weight, not a fluid measure. Example: a jar that holds one pound of honey.

1. Weigh the honey, not the jar

   The net quantity is the honey alone. Weigh the empty jar and lid, fill it, and subtract. Viscous foods are stated in terms of weight.

2. Write both units

   State the weight in both grams and ounces. FDA's own example of the format is Net wt 1 lb 8 oz (680g).

3. Place it low on the front

   Put the statement in the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, in lines generally parallel with the base of the container.

Do small honey sellers need a Nutrition Facts panel?

Honey labels need a Nutrition Facts panel unless an exemption applies. The small business exemption is the one most small sellers look at. A business qualifies if its total sales to consumers are not more than $500,000 a year, or its food sales to consumers are not more than $50,000.

The exemption applies only when the food bears no claim or other nutrition information. A nutrient or health claim on the jar, such as "rich in antioxidants", means the exemption no longer applies. Businesses that qualify on sales do not need to file with FDA, but FDA leaves it to each business to keep records, such as tax returns, that show it qualifies.

Do you need a license to sell honey, and can you sell honey from home?

FDA's rules cover what goes on the label, but licenses, registration and home sales are set by each state, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Two state agriculture departments show how far apart the rules can be.

In Ohio, a beekeeper is exempt from licensing, registration and mandatory inspection when a minimum of 75% of the honey is from their own hives. Honey there is not exempt as a cottage food; exempt under ORC 3715.021, while flavored honey from an exempt beekeeper is a cottage food. Ohio also says honey must have a label, including honey gifted or traded.

In South Carolina, sellers either register or apply for exemption. Beekeepers who sell only to consumers and produce no more than 400 gallons (4,800 lbs) of honey in a calendar year can apply for the exemption. Selling to stores means you register with SCDA and have your honey house inspected and approved, and a home or domestic kitchen is not an approved facility.

Check your own state department of agriculture or health department before your first sale. Ask whether you need a license or registration, whether you can bottle honey in your home kitchen, whether there is a sales or volume limit, and whether the state adds label lines of its own. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Where Nation fits

Questions about honey labeling