Requirements for Selling Honey in Kansas

Selling Honey in KansasKansas

Honey producers can sell direct to consumer without licensing.
Sales of packaged honey to grocery stores (including consignment sales) for resale or sales by an individual that did not package the honey requires a KDA Food Processing License.

Reference: Kansas State Univ

 

Kansas farmer's markets:

The following may be sold at farmer's markets WITHOUT licensing

•   Honey
• Home baked goods (cookies, breads, cakes, etc)
•  Dry baking mixes
•  Fresh uncut fruits and vegetables
•  Intact salad greens
•  Nuts (shelled or in-shell)
•  Eggs (food safety practices recommended, even if having <50 hens)
• Home canned fruit jams and jellies – Includes jams and jellies flavored with pepper-flavor vinegar or pepper powder
•  Canned, shelf stable naturally high acid foods (canned fruits)
•  Pasteurized juice, cider
  – If not pasteurized, need warning statement, license
•  Home made hard candies
• Cultivated whole mushrooms (fresh or dried)
•  Fish and seafood- sold whole on ice
•  Ready to eat foods and beverages sold <6X/year
  -  Must still follow sanitation and hygiene requirements
•  Ready to eat foods and drinks sold by community groups for fundraising purposes
  – Must still follow sanitation and hygiene requirements

Reference: Kansas State Univ

 

What is a food establishment?

A Food Establishment is any operation that provides food directly to the end consumer. A Food Establishment is defined in Kansas law as any place in which food is prepared, served or offered for sale or service on the premises or elsewhere. Food Establishments include eating or drinking establishments, fixed or mobile restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, short order cafes, luncheonettes, tea rooms, grills, sandwich shops, soda fountains, taverns, private clubs, roadside stands, industrial feeding establishments, catering kitchens, commissaries and any other private, public or nonprofit organizations routinely serving food as well as grocery stores, convenience stores, bakeries and locations where food is provided for the public with or without charge.

Roadside markets that offer only whole fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables for sale are not considered Food Establishments.

Please visit our application page to apply for your food service license.

What is a food manufacturer?

A food manufacturer, or a Food Processing Plant, is defined in Kansas law as a commercial operation that processes or stores food for human consumption and provides food for distribution to other business entities at other locations, including other food processing plants and food establishments.

Any operation or individual beekeeper that produces and distributes honey to other business entities is not considered a Food Processing Plant if the producer does not process the honey beyond extraction from the comb.

Please visit our application page to apply for your food processing/manufacturer license.

How do I get a license to sell food?

Please visit our Starting a Food Business page to get assistance with what kind of license you need.

Resources

• National Honey Board
• National and International Beekeeping Associations
• State and Local Beekeeping Associations
• Honey, Beekeeping & Processing Supplies:
• Magazines: Bee Culture and  American Bee Journal

Books:

• Beekeeping For Dummies
• The Beekeeper's Handbook
• The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum
• The Backyard Beekeeper’s Honey Handbook by Kim Flottum
• Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston