Honey Label FAQs
Do I need a Lot Number and/or Best Before date?
It depends. If you are selling your honey you should obey the laws and guidelines which require both a Lot Number and Best Before date. The Lot Number is to make the honey traceable (similar to a batch number on other products). The way a Lot is defined may be as a period of time or as a quantity of honey harvested.
Please note: We are happy to leave both these the date and number blank so you can fill them in by hand for small batches. Some customers also prefer to leave these off altogether and apply a secondary sticker with these details.
What should my best before date be?
This is open to interpretation. Technically speaking, sealed honey should never perish due to its chemical construction; very few bacteria or microorganisms can survive in it. However, once opened this all changes, and it’s longevity is out of your control. We would be happy to put 5 years on our own jars. If you are unsure, ask your local association,search online, or check honey labels at your local supermarket.
Do I need to add my contact details?
If you are selling your honey you need to display the name and address of the producer. You do not need to include further contact details such as email or phone number, although this can be extra reassurance for customers, or lead to further sales.
Which elements are fixed on the custom labels?
The weight is always on the label - it is a legal requirement. If you would like this removed please leave a customer note on your order to request this, and any replacement text you would like. The country of origin is always required - this should be your country, not your town or county. For UK residents this can be either United Kingdom or Great Britain, or Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or England.
What should I call my honey?
You can call it anything you wish. If you are planning to sell your jars you should include the word “Honey” in your title. Most people choose either their name or their location eg. “Essex Honey”. In terms of design, a short title often looks best on the labels themselves. As the labels are fairly small, putting a lot of text into a small area can make it look “busy” or even difficult to read.
Can I use your labels in a honey show?
Yes - people have told us they have won prizes with our labels on their jars. As a note, some customers have won prizes with our labels featuring flowers, whilst others have been marked down for the same labels. The reason is that flowers could be seen to represent the source of the honey. This seems to be at the judges discretion. If in doubt, we recommend selecting a label without flowers.
I would like to add a warning for babies and/or a brief description of my honey - is this possible?
Yes - but there is only so much space available on a label. You can add this information in place of the email address or phone number. Please note however, the space for an email address and phone number is only 3 lines of text in most cases. The more text that is added, the smaller it will be to fit in this space. As always, we do our best to accommodate these requests, but we cannot offer refunds based on design requirements.
Further information can be found here, with key legislation links at the bottom of the page https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/food-and-drink/labelling-of-honey