Selling Honey in UtahUtah Under the Cottage Food Law
Overview
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF)-approved cottage food products can only be sold within the State of Utah.
- You must register your home as a food establishment with UDAF. Beehives must also be registered with UDAF.
- Wholesale distribution of your product is prohibited.
- You may sell honey to stores for retail sale, however the container must indicate on a label that it is home produced.
Labels
A product description label must be affixed to all containers.
The label must include the common name of the product, i.e. Honey, Alfalfa
Honey, etc.
The phrase “Home Produced” must be prominently displayed in large
font.
A net weight statement is required that is accurate and legible. The
font size of the statement and unit of measurement of the product will depend
on the type and size of the container in which the honey is sold.
The
label must also bear the packager’s name, street address, city, state, zip code
and telephone number.
Food Safety Requirements
The area where the honey is bottled
cannot have free roaming indoor pets such as dogs or cats. You must be able
to demonstrate how animals will be permanently excluded from the food
preparation area.
Any person who is involved in handling of the honey must
obtain a Food Handler’s Permit from the local health department.
Honey must not come into contact with any of the eight major foods known to cause allergies (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish). Be prepared to explain how you will accomplish this.
Honey cannot be bottled at the same time as domestic food preparation in the same area.
When processing your cottage food, no unauthorized persons may be present, including family members or visitors.
All processing equipment must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before and after use or after exposure to contamination.
All equipment and utensils used for honey extraction and bottling must be constructed of safe and durable materials, that are resistant to corrosion and are non-absorbent.
Getting Started
- Visit UDAF’s Cottage Food Production website: http://ag.utah.gov/food-safety-consumers/cottage-food-production.html
- Read all of documents on this page; complete and submit all necessary forms.
- To
submit an application or receive more information, please contact:
Rebecca J. Nielsen, Cottage Food Program Coordinator/Labeling Specialist
Office Phone: (801) 538-7152
Email: rjnielsen@utah.gov
Resources
Great helpful books and guides
The Backyard Beekeeper - Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden, Setting up and caring for your own colonies,practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees, Swarm control
The Backyard Beekeeper's Honey Handbook: A Guide to Creating, Harvesting, and Cooking with Natural Honeys
Beekeeping For Dummies, very popular
The Backyard Beekeeper’s Honey Handbook by Kim Flottum
- Rebecca J.
Nielsen, Cottage Food Program Coordinator/Labeling Specialist
Office Phone: (801) 538-7152
Email: rjnielsen@utah.gov - National Honey Board
- National and International Beekeeping Associations
- State and Local Beekeeping Associations
- Honey, Beekeeping & Processing Supplies:
- Magazines: Bee Culture and American Bee Journal