Legal Information

Legal Information on beekeeping

1. All Honey sold in South Carolina must be properly labeled (regardless whether exempt from registration/inspection). Your label must comply with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (contact SCDA for requirements and a sample label) or see below.
   Labels SHOULD be submitted to SCDA for review prior to printing to ensure compliance with the FPLA (above act). NET WT. must be in both OZ and (g) and must be the proper font size (contact SCDA for requirements). Address must be added (City, State, Zip). A street address is required, if business name is not in a local phone book.2. Who will your customers be? If you plan to sell your honey to or at roadside markets, convenience stores, health food stores, etc. you will need to register with the SCDA and have your honey house inspected and approved by SCDA. All of the above constitutes public sale. Selling to family and friends by word of mouth is not public sale. If you sell your honey directly to the end consumer (i.e. Farmers markets) and produce no more than 400 gallons (4,800 lbs.) you can apply for registration and inspection exemption. You must file for exemption.

   Note*Honey sold to the public must be labeled properly, even if you apply for exemption.

   3. If you do not file/qualify for exemption, where will you produce your honey? A home kitchen can NOT be used under any circumstances to produce honey for sale to the public. You will need to register with SCDA and have your honey house approved prior to selling your product to the public. You can use a honey house that is already inspected by SCDA, however, you must submit a Shared Honey House Permission Letter to SCDA prior to producing any honey.

   Honey house requirements include cleanable walls and floors, approved water source, shatterproof lighting, clean utensils and equipment, sinks, proper drainage, DHEC approved septic system (see Food Processor Guidelines at
   http://agriculture.sc.gov/content.aspx?MenuID=98). Honey houses can be on your premises. A converted garage, a “fixed up” shop, etc. can all be used as long as it meets SCDA Guidelines.

   4. Am I exempt from honey house requirements? If you sell your honey directly to the end consumer and produce no more than 400 gallons (4,800 lbs.) you can apply for registration and inspection exemption. You must
   file for exemption. You will still be required to label your product in compliance with the FPLA.

To apply for exemption contact:
Angie Culler, 123 Ballard Court, West Columbia SC 29172
Email:aculler@scda.sc.gov
Phone: (803) 737-734-7321

SEE BELOW FOR FEDERALLY MANDATED LABELLING REQUIREMENTS

PURE HONEY

Distributed by or Produced for: (if not the producer)
New Product Enterprises
1212 Street Avenue
Columbia SC 29555

NET WT 22 OZ (622g)

*Conversion factors: 1 ounce = 28.35 gram

*Nutritional Fact Panel is required for firms with 100+ employees and over 100,000 unit sales.
The Four Basic Label Requirements (Fair Packaging & Labeling Act)
1. Statement of Identity (Product Name) shall be in BOLD print, type size must be comparable to the most prominent printed matter (larger than other type). Must be placed on Principle Display Panel.
2. ***Ingredients not needed if using pure honey.***
3. Name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor shall be added. Address shall include a street address (if not in a local director), city or town, state, and zip code. Use the phrases “manufactured by,” “manufactured for” (if company is not the original manufacturer), or “distributed by.” 4. Net Weight shall be placed at the bottom 1/3 of the Principle Display Panel, shall be in both customary (pound, ounce, fluid ounce, etc), and shall be in metric (kilogram, gram, milliliter,etc.) weights, and have a minimum type size of (see below) based on the area of the principle display panel.

Minimum type size (inches) Area of display panel (sq. inches)
1/16 5 sq. inches or less
(Usually) 1/8 5 sq. inches – 25 sq inches
(Larger jars) 3/16 25 sq. inches – 100 sq. inches
¼ 100 sq. inches – 400 sq. inches

*The following is a list of weight measurements and conversions commonly used for honey
8 oz. (226g) 12 oz. (340g) 16 oz. (453g) 18 oz. (510g)
22 oz. (623g) 32 oz. (907g) 44 oz. 1.24kg)

Links to FPLA can be found at https://agriculture.sc.gov