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NC Honey Label Requirements

NC honey label requirements are short and practical: the name "Honey", the net weight in ounces or pounds plus grams, your name and physical address, and the ingredients. Extension guidance adds the layout: the name near the top, the net weight near the bottom. North Carolina has no cottage food law and no home kitchen warning to print. A beekeeper who jars honey at home has the kitchen inspected by NCDA&CS first. The inspection is free and no permit is issued.

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NC honey label requirements: map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted
Honey jar label

Required on every North Carolina honey jar

The NCDA&CS Food and Drug Protection Division lists four label items for home processors. N.C. Cooperative Extension honey guidance, based on the state's honey labeling guidelines, adds where the name and the net contents sit on the jar.

Example jar label for North Carolina sourwood honey with the name at the top, the beekeeper's name and street address, and the net weight in ounces and grams at the bottom
  1. 1
    The word "Honey"N.C. Cooperative Extension honey guidance
    The product name. Extension guidance, based on the state's honey labeling guidelines, places it in the upper 30% of the label. A floral source like "Sourwood Honey" is fine only when the honey holds a significant amount of pollen from that plant.
  2. 2
    Your name and physical addressNCDA&CS home processor application, Section 4
    The name and street address of whoever made, packed or distributed the honey, with the ZIP code. A website address can't replace it.
  3. 3
    Net weight in two unitsNCDA&CS home processor application, Section 4
    Ounces or pounds plus the gram equivalent, like "Net Wt 12 oz (340 g)". Extension guidance places it in the lower 30% of the label.
  4. 4
    Ingredients, heaviest firstNCDA&CS home processor program
    Pure honey is one ingredient. Whipped honey with cinnamon lists both: "Honey, cinnamon". A bought ingredient shows its own ingredients in parentheses.
  5. 5
    Allergens, if you add anyNCDA&CS home processor program
    Honey itself is not a major allergen. Mix in almonds or sesame and name them in the ingredients or in a "Contains" line right after them, with the specific tree nut.
  6. 6
    Nutrition Facts, only after a claimNCDA&CS home processor program
    Home processors don't need a nutrition panel. Write a claim like "sugar free" or "low fat" and the panel becomes required.
  7. Handing jars over the counter?No label neededHoney sold on demand straight to the buyer, picked up at your home, delivered, or handed across a farmers market table from behind it, can skip the stuck-on label. Have the ingredient information ready if someone asks. Jars on a self-service table, on a store shelf or in a shipping box need the full label.
North Carolina at a glance

Inspection, cost and where your honey can go

Home kitchen inspectionBefore you sellHoney is one of the products on the NCDA&CS home processor application. A Food Regulatory Specialist reaches out to schedule the visit, usually 8 to 12 weeks after your application arrives.
Fee and permit$0The kitchen visit costs nothing, and no permit follows it. What you keep on file is the inspector's report plus a Notice of Inspection.NC State Extension
Pets in the houseNot allowedA pet that comes into your home at any time, even only at night, rules out home processing. NCDA&CS treats it as a violation of federal Good Manufacturing Practices.21 CFR 117 Subpart B
Where you can sellStores includedThe program covers selling directly to consumers and to retail stores and restaurants. NCDA&CS lists no annual sales cap.
Extracting in a garage or honey house?CommercialThe home program stops at the kitchen door. A honey house, a garage extraction room or a basement bottling line counts as a commercial operation, which NCDA&CS handles under its routine inspection program.
Cinnamon, infused or hot honeyHoney mixed with cinnamon, elderberry or chili counts as a processed product, not plain honey. Every added ingredient goes on the label, and NCDA&CS may ask for pH or water activity testing before it approves a product.
The infant warningAdvisedCounty extension offices advise adding a line that honey should not be fed to infants under one year old. It is not one of the four state label items, and it takes one short line on the back.
Federal honey rules on topHoney naming, blends and the optional † footnote for added sugars come from FDA and apply in every state. If you ever need a Nutrition Facts panel, ours prints the regular "Includes Xg Added Sugars" line, which pure honey can use as is.Honey Labeling Requirements (FDA) →
Sources

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Questions

North Carolina label questions

There's no license or permit, but a home kitchen inspection by NCDA&CS comes first if you jar and sell honey from home. Apply with the Application for Home Processor Inspection, and you can sell once the inspection is passed.

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LAWNorth Carolina Cottage Food LawQUIZDo I Need a Nutrition Label?GUIDEHoney Labeling Requirements (FDA)PRODUCTCustom Honey LabelPRODUCTHoney Nutritional Information LabelBY STATESC Honey Label RequirementsBY STATEVirginia Honey Label RequirementsLABEL MAKERNutrition Label Maker

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