Few people may realize that “America’s Dairyland” also produces another sweet delight that is in no way related to dairy — honey.
Food safety, grading and labeling laws may seem complicated to beekeepers who are hobbyists or just trying to earn a little extra money. Here are answers to some of the most common questions. Before you set up your facilities, be sure to contact your local town, village, or city and county governments to find out if there are local ordinances you must meet to process and/or sell your honey. Farmer’s markets also may have their own rules.
Choose a topic:
Licensing
You
don’t need a license if:
- You extract, package and sell only your own honey or bee products from your own bees and apiaries, and
- You don’t process the honey except to:
- Facilitate packaging by straining or heating, or
- Allow honey to crystalize to make spun or creamed honey, even if using starters from your own honey.
You do need a license if:
- You gather or purchase honey or bee products from other beekeepers or
- You process your own or others’ honey by adding color, flavors or other ingredients, including whipping with air, or
- You process your own or others' honey into other products, such as candy.
Types of licenses:
This depends on the amounts and how the product is sold:
- Food processing plant license: Sold to distributors rather than directly to customers. Read the sections about facilities and equipment in ATCP 70 for license requirements.
- Retail food establishment license: Sold direct to consumers. Read the sections about facilities and equipment in ATCP 75 Appendix for license requirements.
Contact licensing for additional information.
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Grading
Grading is not about food safety — it’s about quality.
If you choose to grade your honey, Wisconsin standards are to be used and all of the honey crop must be graded. The only exception is that you can sell ungraded honey from your own premises. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards may be used in addition to Wisconsin standards.
If you choose not to grade your honey to Wisconsin standards, your label shall list “ungraded.”
Grade standards do not apply if you process your honey by adding flavoring, coloring, or other ingredients, or by creaming or whipping.
Wisconsin standards are outlined in
ATCP 87.
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Wisconsin Grades
There are two Wisconsin grades for cut comb and chunk honey: Wisconsin Fancy White and Wisconsin No. 1. Comb and extracted honey can also be graded Wisconsin No. 2. The standards for Wisconsin grades are listed below.
Comb honey – Wisconsin Fancy White must:
- Be under 35 on the Pfund color scale.
- Weigh at least 12½ oz. net or 13½ oz. gross.
- Be free of propolis or other stains.
- Be firmly attached and not projecting beyond the wood, uniformly colored, evenly capped and entirely sealed except in outside cells.
Comb honey – Wisconsin No. 1 must:
- Weigh at least 11 oz. net or 12 oz. gross.
- Be free from propolis or other stains.
- Be firmly attached and not projecting beyond the wood, and entirely sealed except no more than 6 cells on each side in addition to outside cells.
- Have no more than slight travel stain and surface irregularity, with no more than 10 cells on each side with honey that’s a different color than the one listed on the label.
Comb honey – Wisconsin No. 2:
- Is good quality comb that falls below the standards for Fancy White or No. 1.
Cut comb honey – Wisconsin Fancy White must:
- Be cut to uniform size.
- Be free of open cells, weeping, or bruised surface or wet edges.
- Be wrapped in transparent material to prevent leakage and packed in a container (which can be open at the top).
- Meet all other requirements of Wisconsin Fancy White comb honey except weight.
Cut comb honey – Wisconsin No. 1 must:
- Meet all the requirements for Wisconsin Fancy White cut comb honey.
- Meet all the requirements except weight for Wisconsin No. 1 comb honey.
Extracted honey – Wisconsin Fancy White must:
- Weigh at least 11 lbs., 12 oz. per gallon at 68 degrees F.
- Be clean, clear with no air bubbles and other substances in suspension, and free of honeydew, foreign odors, and flavors.
- Heat-treated to prevent fermentation and delay crystallization.
Extracted honey – Wisconsin No. 1 must:
- Weigh at least 11 lbs., 10 oz. per gallon at 68 degrees F.
- Be clean, clear with no air bubbles and other substances in suspension, and free of honeydew, foreign odors and flavors.
Extracted honey – Wisconsin No. 2 must
- Weight at least 11 lbs., 8 oz. per gallon at 68 degrees F.
- Be fairly clean, but may contain a few air bubbles or edible substances in suspension.
- Have flavor or odor unaffected or only slightly affected by overheating or other means.
Chunk Honey – Wisconsin Fancy White must:
- Contain Wisconsin Fancy White comb honey and Wisconsin Fancy White extracted honey.
- Contain half its net weight in comb honey that is in one or two pieces, with no broken pieces.
Chunk honey – Wisconsin No. 1 must:
- Contain Wisconsin No. 1 comb honey and Wisconsin No. 1 extracted honey.
- Contain half its net weight in comb honey that is in one or two pieces, with no broken pieces.
Learn more about USDA standards for
comb honey or
extracted honey.
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Labeling
Your label must include:
- Your name or your business name and address.
- Net weight of contents; you must list the weight in pounds/ounces and in metric measure.
- If not graded, the word “ungraded.”
- If graded, include:
- Grade
- Color of honey if it is Wisconsin No. 1.
You can label your honey by predominant flavor or main source if people in the business could clearly distinguish the flavor or source. You can’t name more than one flavor or source, or name the honey by season.
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