Selling Honey in Virginia
Virginia regulation: Honey Processing (§ 3.2-5130, item A.5), Selling Honey under the Va Cottage Food Exemption
Honey small producers exemption
Small producers may sell with reduced requirements, as long as they meet the following conditions:
- Private homes where the resident processes and prepares pure honey produced by his own hives
- The resident sells less than 250 gallons of honey annually.
- The resident does not process and sell other food products in addition to the honey, except as allowed above (ie: low risk foods and acidified foods).
What types of home-processed honey products are NOT allowed?
Infused honey products would not fall under the exemption as it is considered to be value-added honey product, not pure honey.
Labeling requirements for home-processed honey
- The product is labeled
“PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old.” - In addition, this exemption does not preclude the need for standard labeling information on the product label (name of product, name and address of the manufacturer, distributor, or packer, net weight statement, an ingredient statement and possibly nutritional information).
Where may you sell these products and who can you sell them to
Currently there are not restrictions regarding where the products can be sold and who they may be sold to.
Other requirements and changes
- There is no longer a requirement to provide an annual certification with the requirements of § 3.2-5130, item A.5.
- You are not required to pay the annual $40.00 fee to the agency. Although you are still required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, since you are exempt from the agency’s periodic inspections, you will no longer be required to pay the annual fee. If you receive a bill from VDACS requesting that you pay the annual fee, please contact our agency at 804-786-3520 or foodsafety@vdacs.virginia.gov so that the matter can be resolved.
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
- National Honey Board
- National and International Beekeeping Associations
- State and Local Beekeeping Associations
- Honey, Beekeeping & Processing Supplies:
- Magazines: Bee Culture and American Bee Journal
Honey Processing (§ 3.2‐5130, item A.5)
What is the criteria for the exemption?
- Private homes where the resident processes and prepares pure honey produced by his own hives
- The resident sells less than 250 gallons of honey annually.
- The resident does not process and sell other food products in addition to the honey, except as allowed above (low risk foods and acidified foods).
Where can I process honey?
In your own private home
What types of home processed honey products are NOT allowed?
Infused honey products would not fall under the exemption as it is considered to be value
added honey product, not pure honey.
What are the labeling requirements for home-processed honey?
The product is labeled “PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old.”
In addition, this exemption does not preclude the need for standard labeling information on the product label (name of product, net weight statement, name and address of the manufacturer, list of ingredients and subingredients and possibly nutritional information).
Where can I sell these products and to whom can I sell them?
Currently there are not restrictions regarding where the products can be sold and who they may be sold to.
Am I required to pay the annual $40.00 fee to the agency if I use the Cottage Food Exemption?
No. Although you are still required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, since you are exempt from the agency’s periodic inspections, you will no longer be required to pay the annual fee. If you receive a bill from VDACS requesting that you pay the annual fee, please contact our agency at 804‐786‐3520 or foodsafety@vdacs.virginia.gov. so that the matter can be resolved.
Helpful Links Assistance with locating a process authority:
Complete list of process authorities: http://www.afdo.org/foodprocessing · Virginia Tech: https://ext.vt.edu/food-health/food-innovations.html Links for information regarding Better Process School: · University of Tennessee: https://foodscience.tennessee.edu/better-process-control-school-course · Grocery Manufacturers Association: https://consumerbrandsassociation.org/about-us/programs-initiatives/ better-process-control-school/ Home Canning information: · USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html Questions? Please contact the VDACS Food Safety Program at: By phone: 804‐786‐3520 or by email: foodSafety@vdacs.virginia.gov