Virginia Honey Label Law 

VIRGINIA HONEY LABEL REQUIREMENTS Code of Virginia. Title 3.2. Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food. Chapter 51. Food and Drink Private homes where the resident processes and prepares honey produced by his own hives, if: (i) the resident sells less than 250 gallons of honey annually; (ii) the resident does not process and sell other food products in addition to honey, except as allowed by subdivisions 3 and 4; (iii) the product complies with the other provisions of this chapter; and (iv) the product is labeled "PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old."

Those who process & prepare honey in their private residence from hives they own, who sell less than 250 gallons of honey a year, and who do not process or sell other food products (except as also exempted by statute) are exempt from inspection. Infused honey products are not exempted • The word Honey must be displayed prominently on the front of the jar.

• Net weight displayed in both pounds/ounces and metric weight should be displayed in the bottom third of the label with a clear font. Ex: Net Wt. 16 oz. (454 g) • Ingredients, if only honey, do not need to be listed. Additional ingredients do.

• Contact information - Located on the front of the label or back information label. The label must let consumers know who put the product on the market and how to contact that person. Contact information should include full name, and full address and phone number if space permits.

• If you are not extracting and bottling in a Virginia certified/inspected environment and you sell less than 250 GALLONS of honey, Virginia law requires additional labeling language: “PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old.”

Am I required to pay the annual $40.00 fee to the agency? 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.

Labeling & Marketing 

• https://www.apisolutionsconsortium.com/label-guidelines
• This is a tangential document but could also be helpful- farmers markets and home foods in VA
• https://www.apisolutionsconsortium.com/virginia-rules-regulations
• Food Safety- to include VDACS small food manufacturers
• https://www.apisolutionsconsortium.com/food-safety
• Honey Labeling Guidance