# selling honey



## winyardbee (Jan 17, 2005)

Is it legal to sell honey that I Buy in bulk (5gal bucket)that I repack in medium size bear containers to sell on my farm? No weight on label. It will only say (orange blossom honey) and not local grown. I have two hives but not enough honey to sell. thank you Iowa Bee
,


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

I would suggest that you check with your state agriculture department. They can advise on such things as labeling and packing facility requirements. I'm betting that there are guidelines about who, what, where, how one can repack food that crosses state lines.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It differs by state. MOST states if you don't have more than some amount (usually fairly high) and you sell from your home or farm don't care, but some do.









No oranges in Council Bluffs? lol. They might not believe if you say it's from your hive AND it's orange blossom.

I'm only about 45 miles from you. You should come over sometime to see my hives and visit.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

Perhaps the biggest disappointment when I attended "Beekeeping School" was when they told me that here in Indiana, you can't sell honey unless it's been extracted & bottled in a commercially-approved, Board-of-Health-inspected kitchen. I specifically asked about selling to friends or having a small stand in front of my house, and was told 'no'. As a new beekeeper, I wasn't looking at this as a money-maker, I was just hoping to eventually sell some honey to help defray my hobby expenses. I've searched for previous threads on this, and have found that: 1) there's a number of other states with similar requirements, 2) there's a lot of hobbyists who are "flying under the radar" and selling anyway. Since I'm just starting out, it'll be awhile before I have more than I'll need for personal use and some gifts, so I don't have to face this 
just yet.


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## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

LABEL REQUIREMENTS - REQUIRE A WIEGHT OR VOLUME STATEMENT SO THE CUSTOMER KNOWS HOW MUCH THEY ARE BUYING. 
THEY REQUIRE YOUR INFORMATION ON THE LABEL SO THEY KNOW, WHO BOTTLED IT. NAME - ADDRESS


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## thekeeper (Nov 24, 2004)

You need to have name,amount or weight,nutritional facts,Where it was from,all this stuff is requred incase their is a someone who gets sick they can do a recall.Check also with your local farmers market they will tell you what you need to put on container.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

<Perhaps the biggest disappointment when I attended "Beekeeping School" was when they told me that here in Indiana>

I don`t know whitch Beekeeping School you went to but have an idea, some folks get a kick out of spouting rules and regs.

The person that said that is probably right but I havent seen anybody looking for the BAD guy that is selling a few Bears of honey as long as you give your personal info. as someone else has said I dont think Indiana will see you as a BAD guy ( I hope so ) I do know people that have all the papers but they are comercial honey producers.

I do know one guy that sells 3 tons of honey a year and has 3 hives go figuer


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

> you can't sell honey unless it's been 
> extracted & bottled in a commercially-approved, 
> Board-of-Health-inspected kitchen.

And "kitchen" means a specific set of things
for a restaurant, another for a bakery, and
yet another for a narrow-focus application
like honey processing. These "inspectors"
are not out to make your life a living hell,
and they are quite reasonable.

A case in point. My wife wanted granite on
some countertops, and maple on others for
her kitchen, which is used to bake for resale
in both "wine and cheese" stores, and a few
high-end restaurants. I thought that the
inspectors would have a fit over this, as
both are considered "porous" materials.

No problem - they understood that bread dough
needs wood, and pastries need cool granite
or marble. This is Virginia, where they
have been known to padlock eateries that did
not pass inspections. 

As far as the honey house, they will care
about dirt and dust, but they will understand
that propolis is NOT "dirt", and they will
also understand that the crunchy yummy goodness
of the occasional bee leg is something that
is filtered out of the honey, and not a big
hairy deal, even when it is a big hairy leg.

Oh yeah - hair nets. Gotta have 'em.
I didn't say you had to WEAR 'em, I only
said you had to HAVE them.

And no, you can't extract in your garage.
But you CAN extract in a Church basement
kitchen, which already has lots of nice
stainless-steel counters, and already has
a inspector's approval. A small donation
in appreciation would be a nice idea.


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## roger eagles (Apr 18, 2004)

Hi,sure would like to buy a gallon of orange blossom from some one.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

This is where contacting your individual state agriculture department, Food safety office, and others, and doing a little research into EXACTLY what is required. There are always statements that are wrong. So what is, what may, and what is not required, is always not clear. I'll point out the nutrition label as one, but I am not sure if this mention of nutrition label is from a state requirement aspect. I had thought until 5,000 units of anything was sold by a producer, that the nutrition label was not required.

I would not put my personal taxes, business, or my families security in anything I do without seeking, knowing, and covering my butt. 

In "most" states, there is one set for farm or home raised produce sold dierectly from the premises, there are another set of things if you label and sell through a third party seller (send to a market), and then there is the new federal laws also.

Honey is a low safety risk and many sells year after year with nobody questioning. But it only takes one complaint.


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## Todd Zeiner (Jun 15, 2004)

I'm here in Indiana and have some input on this topic. A higher volume producer friend of mine sells mainly in bulk to health food stores and farmers markets. He was approched last summer by the State Health Dept. They had been to a retailer and inquired about their supplier. Anyway, they made an appointment with him and checked out his operation. Not a big deal, they just recommended a few things like a stainless steel 3 piece sink, and hair nets and running hot water. He got the certification without doing the improvements but he has to have them done by this spring. The main thing they were interested in was that they kwew who he was and can track the products if there was a problem.


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## BubbaBob (Jan 18, 2005)

I've got a way around the hair nets...do like me and keep a Kojack hair-do.

BubbaBob


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## wfarler (Jul 9, 2003)

So how would you folks rate health food stores as customers for honey?

Seems like they would appreciate local honey very highly? but how about pricing and volume? do they pay premiums over market for local honey? can they move any volume of significance?

thanks


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## beebuzz (Mar 26, 2006)

It may be easier to ask forgiveness than permission!!Ha Ha


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

"No oranges in Council Bluffs? lol."

I've been asked for orange blossum honey in Southeast Missouri, and until I explained that it came from actual orange tree blossums, they figured all of us had it, or should have it.

I lol, too.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

winyardbee, the answer to your original question is yes.

But there are laws pertaining to what must be on the label. Those laws may not apply to low volume home sales. I don't know. Check with your State Dept. of Agriculture. Perhaps you local County Extension Office has a bulletin on this subject.

I think that I have pretty much reiterated what others have said here.

Go for it.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

winyardbee,

I'll echo again that your first step should be to contact your state Department of Agriculture. I went through the same quest this winter in search of the "correct" procedures and regulations for my state. Every state is a little different in what is required so get your answers straight from the horses' mouth. My Dept of Agriculture responded to me by e-mail promply and they were very helpful in supplying me with all of the options and regulations, and answered all of my questions completely. 
In my state if you "personally" sell honey retail, even in large quantities ( up to $50,000 ), you can work right out of your kitchen or garage without inspection. But, if you sell even 1 jar of honey wholesale then you are required to have a seperate facility with approved sink, drains, equipment, etc which must be inspected and approved by the state.
They will send you guidelines on labeling requirements for your product too. 
Again, every state is different so check with your Dept of Agri first and get the facts.


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