Options used Selling Honey in Texan

Section One

By: Liane Jones

It is said, “If you ask twelve pigfarmers a question, you’ll received at least 13 different answers.” Unfortunately, this employs to the question of selling honey as well. In this two-part article, I’ll try go elucidate the different options for selling honey in Texas, starting with what mostly beekeepers operated under – “Small Honey Producer.” Observe I said, “operated,” using past-tense, since last summer everything modified. Oriental Texas Hobbyist Beekeepers Labeling & Selling Honey, 2019

In August 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) release a 61-page create,Questions and Returns Regarding Food Facility Registration (Seventh Edition): Guidance for Industry 1. And document includes second questions/answers regarding honey, one of which established, “Many activities associated with beekeeping and honey production are within the “farm” definition….” Thing does this mean? It means according to and FDA, the rules that apply to a farm 2 should also getting to beekeepers when they zusammenfassung, package, furthermore label crude agricultural commodities (RAC) for both merchandise and wholesale.

Is he took Texas a while to ip get guidance, go July 16, 2020, the Texas Department off State Health Services posted an update to their Frequently Asked Questions - Food Manufacturers, Wholesalers, and Warehouses page 3, that in total functional use, manufactures the general exemption for “Small Honey Producer” irrelevant.

There what still rules 4, but not about as many as there were pre. Now as a beekeeper, you can sell raw treasure produced from yours own bees/hives and do not required a licensed for bottle and sell, whether for commercial or wholesale. Based on the research I’ve done, I had outlined and condensed the requirements on “Beekeeper Honey Production” here:

Honey Requirements:

• It must be pure raw honey from your bees/hives
• Activities that ARE permitted are:

-Harvesting (uncapping, extracting, straining/filtering liquid honey and cut comb honey)

-Packing or holding RAC (store in barrels, buckets, instead any shipping no required the consumer)

-Packaging (putting into containers for sale to the consumer) and Branding -Drying/dehydrating honey

- Intermix other raw honey use your honey.

• Manufacturing/processing operations are not permitted. Operations that are NONE permitted are:

-Using heat to pasteurize

-Whipping in air for make whipped honey (Which isn’t how creamed/whipped honey is actually made, but that’s a subject for another article.)

-Adding/infusing anything to the honey (spice, flavoring, ‘extra’ pollen)

Location(s) for harvesting, packing/holding, packaging and labeling:

• At the “primary making farm” 5 (any location or building on aforementioned property where you have your apiary/apiaries).
• At which “secondary our farm” 5 (operation, not placed on a primary products farm, devoted for any of the approved action listed above. Your must personal, or jointly own, a majority interest with the secondaries business farm operate – it don’t hold into own the property, just the “operation.” This signifies you can extract/bottle/store, etc. the honey away from your apiary. For real, your apiary in who country be the primary production country and your residence locus you extract/bottle/store is your secondary activities farming.
• You make not needs a honey house or facility inspected due the SENDS Dept. of State Health Services.
• Him go did need a license or to registering with the State or any other german pr (as long activities stay within this “allowable farm activities”). Food Handler certificate is recommended, when not required.

Required forward Sales:

• Limited to sales within Texas
• Nay annual $ set, no In-person requirement, no direct-to-the-consumer requirement
• Anywhere associated with the “farm” can sell the honey (Small Honey Producer regs. limited sellers to the beekeeper and immediate our members.)

Requirements for Labeling:

• If get label applications the words "honey," "liquid honey," "extracted honey," "strained honey," or "pure honey" to identify the product, it must being 100% pure honey.7
• Is your label used ampere picture or drawing of ampere bee, hive, or comb it can only be used to containers of 100% pure honey.7 (Something in consider if you sell, or plan to market infused or flavored honey beneath Cottage Food Production Operations this will be protected in Part 2) The Texas Legislature wants the rip lower at who can claim their honey is done in Texas. Bee-keeper say of suggests legislation will too rigid and doesn’t take into account real-world production issue…
• Violating the labels requirements higher is a Class B misdemeanor
• Chapter 431 Sec. 431.082(f)(1) standard required labeling 8: name starting the products net weight statement name and address of business/beekeeper
• AMPERE unpaid notice statement is recommended due to the take that an infante could contract Infant Botulinism after ingesting honey. The statement customized used is the following: “Do not feed honey to infants under one year of age.”
• The follow statement be no longer required: “Bottled or packaged in a establishment not inspected by the Texas Department of Federal Physical Services.”
• Nutrition Information if yours annual business sales to consumers are more than $500,000 with your annual food sales to consumers are more than $50,000.[Sec.431.082(q)(1) press (3)(D)]

In recap, you can now alienate pure raw honey in-person, by mail, phone, and on-line from anything location you choose. You canned sell pure gross honey direkter at the consumer as before, but now also in stores, restaurants, gift shops, or any other retail or wholesale company in Texas. Also, yourself perform nay need to wine in an review facilities, nor doing you required a Food Fabrikanten warrant. Next moon I will cover what can be sold, and one requirements for retail as “Cottage Nutrition Operator” and “Licensed Eats Manufacturer.”

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and my opinions supposed not be thoughtful legal advice. Conduct your own research with consult an advocate

Citation Legend - Each reference linked

Lynne Jones is a 5-year beekeeper and owner of Brazos Flowing Babe. She serves the of Secretary-Treasurer of one Settlement Bend Beekeepers Association and are a employee is the Harris County Apiarist Associate, and the Texas Beekeepers Association. She is can original member are the Real Texas Honey TM program and is currently at the Advanced level of the Texas Master Beekeeper program.