Work down this list before you order a print run. Every item
here is a requirement or a trap, and label reprints are the most avoidable cost in
small-scale honey.
The five required elements
1 · Statement of identity
The word "Honey".
On the front, prominent. If you name a floral source, Clover
Honey, the honey must actually be chiefly from that source. That is a claim, not
a flavor description.
2 · Net quantity
Net weight, by WEIGHT not volume.
Honey is about 1.42 times as dense as water, so a 12 fl oz jar
holds roughly a pound. Declaring volume on a honey label is a common and
consequential error. US labels normally carry both pounds/ounces and metric.
3 · Name and address
Who is responsible for the product, and where.
A street address may be omitted only if the firm is listed in a
current directory. A PO box alone is generally not sufficient. Packing under
someone else's roof does not move this obligation.
4 · Ingredients
Not needed for pure honey. Required the moment anything is added.
Infused, flavored or blended-with-anything products need a full
ingredient statement in descending order by weight.
5 · Allergens
Only if a major allergen is present.
Pure honey has none. Added nuts, or a shared line, changes
that.
Placement rules
Identity and net quantity go on the principal display panel, the face the
customer sees. Name and address, and ingredients where required, may go on an
information panel to the right of it.
Net quantity sits in the bottom thirty percent of the display panel. It is the
placement rule most often missed on an otherwise careful label.
Claims that change your obligations
Raw, unfiltered, local. Not federally defined for honey, which
does not make them free. They must be truthful and not misleading, and a buyer or
a state can hold you to them.
Organic. Certified term. Do not use it without certification.
Any health effect. Saying honey treats, prevents or relieves
anything offers it as a drug and moves it under requirements a small producer
cannot meet. This includes the local-pollen-for-allergies claim.
State exemptions. Cottage food rules often require their own
statement, sometimes in a specified size. That is additional to everything above,
not instead of it. Check your state before printing.
References
US Food and Drug Administration.
Guidance for Industry: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products.
fda.govMichigan State University Extension.
Rules and regulations for selling honey in Michigan.
canr.msu.edu 