It might be a hobby you enjoy or perhaps selling honey brings in some extra income? Whatever the reason, there are rules you must follow, even if you sell honey in a relaxed manner to friends and family.
Keeping bees can be highly rewarding and enjoying the honey is an added bonus. Wondering if you can start selling your supply without things such as food hygiene?
Our guide to selling honey will answer all those unanswered questions buzzing around in your head!
Do I Need a Hygiene Certificate For Selling Honey?
However you choose to sell your honey, you still need to follow food safety regulations. A food hygiene certificate is not a legal requirement, but it is highly recommended.
Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering Level 2 – Online Training Course
- This course can be completed online in just 3 hours.
- Download your certificate instantly.
- Compliant with all UK regulations & Laws.
- Meets all legal requirements for food handlers.
- Course content can be played as audio.
£20+ VAT
Bulk discounts available for multiple team members.
By getting a food hygiene certificate to sell honey you make sure you are complying with all legal requirements. You can also easily demonstrate that you are in full compliance with food safety laws. This will give customers peace of mind about your product quality.
Selling honey comes with its own set of regulations such as procedures for labelling jars, best before dates and how to ensure it’s extracted and stored correctly.
Selling honey from home means you are entirely responsible for the honey you sell. This is why it’s so important to cover yourself and make sure your procedures are tight. A food hygiene course will help you understand your responsibilities and how to ensure all food products are kept as safe as they can.
When You Will Need a Hygiene Certificate For Selling Honey
There are so many situations where selling honey means having your certificate for food hygiene will be to your advantage.
Being able to display certification at markets and events offers reassurance about product quality.
Selling Honey at a Farmers Market
When people flock to farmers’ markets in pursuit of homemade honey, they want authenticity. This means having the correct labels, description, titles, and storage and such knowledge can be obtained from a food hygiene course.
Selling Honey Online
Selling honey online can be lucrative but putting your name out there means taking responsibility for the safety of your product. By doing a food hygiene course you are learning all you need to know to keep your customers safe.
Rules for selling honey
It requires a special skill set to own bees, collect nectar and then go on to sell honey and it comes with its own, sometimes complicated, rules which need to be adhered to.
The 2015 Honey Regulations (England) need to be followed and contain many of the rules which honey sellers need to be mindful of at all times.
Some of the rules include:-
- The word honey should be used in the title of the product.
- When the honey has been obtained from the nectar of plants, the title should use honey, blossom honey or nectar honey.
- Honeydew honey should be given the title of simply honey.
- If you are selling comb honey then this name should be used to sell the brand.
- Your labels should contain your name, address, country of origin, net weight and the type of honey e.g. comb honey.
- The weight on the label should be in metric, you can add imperial too if you wish.
- The type of honey specified should be at least 75% of that ingredient.
- You should include a best before date or lot number if selling via a 3rd party.
- Glass jars are best for selling honey as they are the most hygienic and mean buyers can see what they are getting.
In addition to this , it’s important to know that food hygiene inspectors are instructed on the same guidance so will look for all these elements when they come to inspect your business.
Our guide on the rules for selling food from home has more detailed information on setting up a food business.
Which Food Hygiene Certificate Do I Need for Selling Honey?
You will be best to complete a Food Hygiene Level 2 when you plan to make a business selling honey. Its key features include:-
Level 2 Food Hygiene Course For Catering
This training course is suited to those working directly with food such as burger van workers. It will cover:
- The Food Rating Hygiene Scheme and what this entails
- The laws surrounding food hygiene
- Correct storage
- Food labelling
- Food safety responsibilities
- Microbiological hazards
- How to handle and store raw products
- All other hazards surrounding food
- Importance of food labelling and appropriate storage
- Fridge and freezer temperatures
- All aspects of food preparation
- Personal Hygiene
- Keeping the premises clean
FAQ’s
You can sell honey as long as you follow all the appropriate legislation required with regards to preparing, storing and selling. You might need to register as a business if you intend to sell via places like farmers’ markets and shops.
