Requirements for Selling Honey in Kentucky

Selling Honey in Kentucky

Key points

• If you are under 150 gallons annually there are few requirements aside from meeting Kentucky’s labeling requirements and operate in a safe and sanitary manner

The details...

Per KRS 217.187, if a person sells less than 150 gallons of honey in a year off the farm, the person shall not be required to process the honey in a certified honey house or food processing establishment, nor shall the person be required to obtain a permit from the cabinet.
Apiaries meeting this exemption would still need to comply with Kentucky’s labeling requirements and operate in a safe and sanitary manner. Product labels should be submitted to for review to:

Questions?

Virginia Hamilton, food.safety@ky.gov. Phone: 502-226-0430.
Food Safety Branch, 275 E. Main Street, HS1C-F, Frankfort, KY 40621.

Labels

Labels for honey containers, as for all foods in Kentucky, are also regulated by the Department for Public Health, Food Safety Branch. The requirements for honey labels are detailed below.
For the most current FDA draft guidance on the labeling of honey products see this link:
http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/labelingnutrition/ucm389501.htm
Identity of the product: HONEY

• Net Quantity: For honey this is customarily stated in weight - ounces and grams, not volume.
• A one pound jar label should state Net Wt. 1 lb (454 g).
• A two pound jar should say Net Wt. 2 lb (908 g).
• A one pint jar should say Net Wt. 22 ounces (624 g) or Net Wt. 1.37 lb (624g).
• A one quart jar should say Net Wt. 44 ounces (1.2 kg) or Net Wt. 2.75 lb
  

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