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WV Honey Label Requirements

WV honey label requirements go further than federal law. Honey made or packed in West Virginia and sold direct to consumers needs a label with the name, your company name, city, state and ZIP, an ingredient list (yes, "Ingredients: Honey"), and the net weight in ounces and grams in the bottom third of the front. Packed in a home or farm kitchen? Add the non-commercial kitchen statement. Plain honey needs no vendor permit at a farmers market.

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WV honey label requirements: map of the United States with West Virginia highlighted
Honey jar label

Required on every West Virginia honey label

From the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) farmers market rule, which covers all food made or packaged in West Virginia for direct, non-wholesale sale.

Example West Virginia sourwood honey jar label with Ingredients: Honey, company name, city, state and ZIP, net weight in ounces and grams near the bottom, and the non-commercial kitchen statement
  1. 1
    Statement of identityW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.4
    The common name: "Honey", or a true floral source like "Sourwood Honey".
  2. 2
    Company nameW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.4
    Of the producer, packer or distributor. Not the producer? Say how you relate to the honey, like "Packed by" or "Distributed by".
  3. 3
    City, state and ZIPW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.4
    Where the producer, packer or distributor is, like "Elkins, WV 26241".
  4. 4
    An ingredient list, even for pure honeyW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.4
    Single-ingredient products still list it, starting with "Ingredients:". So a jar of pure honey reads "Ingredients: Honey". Federal rules alone would not ask for this.
  5. 5
    Net weight in the bottom thirdW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.4
    Honey is measured by weight. U.S. units first, metric in parentheses, in the bottom third of the main panel: "NET WT 12 oz (340 g)". From a home or farm kitchen, a handwritten net weight is fine if it stays legible.Net Weight Labeling Requirements →
  6. 6
    The non-commercial kitchen statementW. Va. CSR §61-38-7.5
    For honey made in a home, farm or community kitchen: "This product was made in a non-commercial kitchen that may not be subject to inspection and may contain cross-contact allergens not included in the allergen statement."
  7. No room for a sticker on the comb box?3 alternativesFor shelf-stable food from a home or farm kitchen, WVDA also accepts the label information on a placard at the point of sale (for unpackaged items), on a receipt or other document, or on your website when you sell online.
West Virginia at a glance

West Virginia honey permits and paperwork

Plain honey at marketsNo permitHoney is on the list of foods sold at farmers markets without a vendor permit.W. Va. CSR §61-38-6.1
Infused honey$35 vendor permitHoney with added flavors or ingredients counts as potentially hazardous. You need a yearly farmers market vendor permit and proof of a Food Handler's Card or higher food safety training. Selling it beyond the market? The Department of Agriculture also issues a potentially hazardous cottage food vendor permit, valid statewide for sales inside West Virginia.W. Va. CSR §61-38-8.4
Label reviewInfused or commercialSend labels to WVDA for infused honey made at home and for anything packed in an inspected commercial kitchen. Plain honey from a home or farm kitchen is not on that list.W. Va. CSR §61-38-7.6
Beekeeper registrationRenew yearlyWVDA registers beekeepers. Every apiary certificate of registration expires on June 30 and is renewed each year.W. Va. CSR §61-2-3
Imported or blended honey: name the countryOriginWest Virginia's honey rule tells vendors to mark each package of honey, bee pollen or royal jelly with its country or countries of origin, blends of imported and domestic honey included. Producers in the state may mark the main panel to show the honey was produced in West Virginia. Removing origin labels is not allowed.W. Va. CSR §61-2A-3
Adulterated honey gets testedWest Virginia's honey rule lists lab results (maltose content, sugars that point to invert syrup, a carbon isotope test) that count as evidence of honey cut with cheap syrups. Such a product falls under the state's Imitation Honey Product Law. WVDA can quarantine it and, if the paperwork doesn't arrive within 90 days, order it destroyed.W. Va. CSR §61-2A-4, 5
The federal side of your jarWest Virginia labels generally follow FDA rules. So add a Nutrition Facts panel unless you qualify for an exemption. Our tool prints the standard "Includes Xg Added Sugars" line, which is correct for honey.Honey Labeling Requirements (FDA) →
Sources

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Questions

West Virginia label questions

Not for plain honey. It is on the state's list of foods you may sell without a vendor permit. Honey with added flavors or ingredients needs a farmers market vendor permit. How to Sell at a Farmers Market →

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