Home
Honey label checklist

Honey labels

Honey label requirements: what must be on the jar

Every jar you sell carries the same handful of federal items, plus whatever your state adds when you sell under a cottage-food or honey exemption. This page is the checklist the Bee Community app keeps next to your hive log: each federal row shows its own source, the converter turns ounces into the grams the label also needs, and the state cards print their confidence as found.

The one-jar checklist

Eight lines, in the order you meet them on the label. The federal table below gives the source for each.

Product name: "Honey" (add a floral source only if you can back it up).
Net weight in both units — e.g. "12 oz (340 g)" — by weight, not volume.
Your name and full address (or your state's ID number where allowed).
No ingredient list unless you added something — then it is a blend or flavored honey with a full list.
Nutrition Facts, or file the FDA small-business exemption notice every year (any nutrient or health claim voids it).
No "organic" without USDA National Organic Program certification.
Your state's "not inspected" sentence if you sell under a cottage-food or honey exemption.
Keep sales under your state's cap.

Federal label elements

These follow FDA's honey labeling guidance and 21 CFR 101. Each row names where it came from; read the source before you print.

Federal items, each with its own source — two cite a Michigan beekeeping PDF, not FDA
Element	Rule	Source
Statement of identity	Statement of identity: 'Honey' (optionally with substantiated floral source, e.g. 'Orange Blossom Honey'); honey + another ingredient must be named as a blend/flavored product with an ingredient list	fda.gov (FDA)
Single-ingredient food	Pure honey is a single-ingredient food: no ingredient statement required; adding anything (corn syrup, flavor) triggers ingredient labeling and, if cheaper than honey, adulteration	fda.gov (FDA)
Net quantity of contents	Net quantity of contents in both US customary (oz/lb) and metric (g), by weight	fda.gov (FDA)
Name and place of business	Name and place of business of manufacturer, packer or distributor	fda.gov (FDA)
Nutrition Facts	Nutrition Facts required unless exempt; small-business exemption for <100,000 units/yr and <100 FTE (file the FDA notice annually); any nutrient/health claim voids the exemption	static1.squarespace.com — Keeping Bees in Michigan, 2017 PDF; not an FDA source
Country of origin	Country of origin must appear on imported honey	fda.gov (FDA)
Marketing claims	'Raw', 'local', 'natural', 'pure', 'unfiltered' have no official definition; 'organic' requires USDA NOP certification and the seal may not be used otherwise	static1.squarespace.com — Keeping Bees in Michigan, 2017 PDF; not an FDA source

Net weight: ounces to grams

The label carries the net weight in both US customary and metric units, by weight. One ounce is 28.3495 grams; the result is rounded to the whole gram.

Common jar sizes
Ounces	Grams	Also written as
2 oz	57 g
4 oz	113 g
6 oz	170 g
8 oz	227 g
12 oz	340 g
16 oz	454 g	1 lb (454 g)
24 oz	680 g
32 oz	907 g	2 lb (907 g)
48 oz	1361 g	3 lb (1361 g)
80 oz	2268 g	5 lb (2268 g)

Words on the label that carry a rule

Marketing claims and their sources
Claim	Rule	Source
organic	Requires USDA National Organic Program certification; the USDA seal may not be used otherwise.	ecfr.gov
raw / local / natural / pure / unfiltered	No official definition — do not let them imply a grade or an inspection.	fda.gov
floral source (e.g. Orange Blossom)	Allowed only when you can substantiate that the honey came predominantly from that source.	fda.gov
nutrient or health claims	Any such claim voids the small-business Nutrition Facts exemption.	law.cornell.edu

State extras

A state line is never federal law. The states on file — California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Texas and Virginia — are summarized below, each with its own sources and its confidence printed as found. For any other state, start from its department of agriculture or health and its cottage-food page.

California

Cottage Food Operation Class A (direct sales only; ≤$75,000 gross/yr) or Class B (direct + indirect incl. third-party retail; ≤$150,000), both 'annually adjusted for inflation based on the California Consumer Price Index'; label 'Made in a Home Kitchen' in 12-point type on the primary display panel plus the Class A/B registration or permit number and the name of the county that issued it; apiary registration (BeeWhere) is a separate mandatory step.

Sources: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, law.justia.com, cdph.ca.gov

Confidence: high (caps/classes), medium (label text via Justia), low (honey on CDPH approved list — confirm)

Still to confirm: honey on CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List (page did not render) — CDPH Food and Drug Branch (916) 650-6500

Florida

Honey is an approved cottage food; gross sales ≤$250,000/yr; sales delivered 'in person directly to the consumer, to a specific event venue, or by United States Postal Service or commercial mail delivery service' (website/mail order allowed, no wholesale); label: operation name and address, product name, ingredients in descending order, net weight/volume, allergens, and 'Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations'. No own-hives requirement exists in statute or on the FDACS page.

Sources: leg.state.fl.us, fdacs.gov

Confidence: high

Georgia

HB 398 (signed May 13, 2025; effective July 1, 2025): 'Cottage food operators no longer need to obtain a license with the Georgia Department of Agriculture ("GDA") or pay a licensing fee to the state'; may sell direct or 'to retail food sales establishments like grocery stores, restaurants, and convenience stores' unless the city/county opts out; an Identification Number may replace the address on labels; GDA labeling rules still apply. Food-safety course requirement NOT confirmed by GDA FAQ.

Sources: agr.state.ga.us, legis.ga.gov, agr.georgia.gov

Confidence: high (licence removal, wholesale), low (food-safety course, sales cap wording)

Still to confirm: food-safety course requirement and honey's place on the post-HB 398 cottage list — GDA cottage food team (404) 656-3627, cottagefoodinfo@agr.georgia.gov

Michigan

Honey is NOT a cottage food but has its own exemption: no license if gross sales ≤$15,000; label 'Processed in a facility not inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development'; wholesale allowed

Sources: static1.squarespace.com

Confidence: medium

We could not fully verify this item; treat it as a prompt to call the agency, not as a rule.

Texas

Small honey production operation labels: net weight in avoirdupois AND metric, beekeeper name and address, and 'Bottled or packaged in a facility not inspected by the Texas Department of State Health Services'; not a food service establishment

Sources: texas.public.law, texas.public.law

Confidence: medium

We could not fully verify this item; treat it as a prompt to call the agency, not as a rule.

Virginia

Honey producers selling no more than 250 gallons a year from their own hives are exempt from VDACS inspection if the label carries the not-inspected statement and the infant warning below (Va. Code § 3.2-5130). Confirm the current wording with VDACS before printing labels.

Label lines the state asks for

PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. — law.lis.virginia.gov, confidence medium
WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old. — law.lis.virginia.gov, confidence medium

Sources: law.lis.virginia.gov, vdacs.virginia.gov

Confidence: medium (statute citation not re-verified in the G4 pass — confirm with VDACS)

We could not fully verify this item; treat it as a prompt to call the agency, not as a rule.

Federal items follow FDA's Guidance for Industry: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products (March 2018) and 21 CFR 101. FDA guidance is nonbinding and describes the agency's current thinking; the regulations it cites are the requirement. Compiled on September 15, 2026 from the sources linked in each row; rules verified September 4, 2026.

State lines come from your state's cottage-food or honey-exemption rules and are shown with their own source and confidence — a state line is never presented as federal law.

This checklist is not accounting, tax or legal advice and does not ensure your honey, labels or sales meet FDA or your state's food and labeling rules — that, and your taxes, remain your responsibility.

Do not use the USDA organic seal or the word organic without National Organic Program certification (7 CFR 205).

Questions beekeepers ask

Do I need Nutrition Facts on a honey jar?

Not if you qualify for the small-business exemption and file the notice with FDA every year; the federal row above gives the unit and employee limits with its source. Any nutrient or health claim on the label voids the exemption, so a jar that says anything about energy or antioxidants needs the panel.

Can I write raw or local on the label?

You can, but the words have no official definition, so they must not imply a grade or an inspection. Organic is different: it needs USDA National Organic Program certification (7 CFR 205), and the USDA seal may not be used without it.

Do I have to put an infant warning on the jar?

Not under the federal elements on this page. Virginia's small-producer exemption requires one — the Virginia card above carries the wording, the statute and its confidence. Other states set their own cottage-food or honey rules, so check your state's food agency before you print.

Net weight: ounces or grams?

Both, by weight — for example 12 oz (340 g). Weigh the filled jar and subtract the empty jar; a jar's fluid-ounce size is a volume and is not the number that goes on the label. The converter above turns ounces into grams.

Can I sell honey from home without a license?

Often, under a cottage-food or honey exemption that comes with a sales cap and a required not-inspected sentence — but the cap and the sentence are set by the state. The state extras above summarize the states on file, each with its own source and confidence; for any other state, start from its department of agriculture or health.

Does my name and address have to be on the label?

Yes. The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor is a federal element. Some states let a state-issued identification number stand in for the street address on cottage-food labels; the Georgia card notes that.

What if I add something to the honey?

Then it is no longer a single-ingredient food. Flavored or blended honey needs a full ingredient list, and the name has to say what it is; adding a cheaper sweetener without saying so is adulteration. Both are in the federal rows above.

Is any of this legal advice?

No. It is a checklist assembled from FDA guidance, 21 CFR 101 and the state sources shown, on the dates stamped in the notice above. FDA guidance is nonbinding; the regulations it cites are the requirement, and your state food agency has the final word on state lines.

Bee Community

Take it to the bee yard

The label checklist and the registration reminders live next to your hive log.

Bee Community is a free Android app for the bee yard: a logbook that works offline, reminders built from your own records and your region's season, a mite-wash calculator with the Honey Bee Health Coalition thresholds, a mite trend chart, and a treatment picker driven by EPA labels. Free for two active hives with no ads; Premium and Commercial add hives and tools, and nothing you record is ever locked.

Get Bee Community on Google Play

Android only. Weather and the season calendar are US-only for now. Beekeepers 18 and over. Nothing in the app is veterinary, regulatory or professional advice; the product label is the law, and your state apiary inspector is the person to call.

Questions or support: support@mybeecommunity.com

Nothing on this page is veterinary, regulatory, legal or professional advice. The product label is the law, and your state apiary inspector is the person to call. Photos, weather data and varroa guidance come from public-domain, Creative Commons and extension sources and are credited on the app's Credits screen.