Hi, does honey for sale need to have a 'nutritional information' stickers on?
If so are there any templates/ useful information areas for finding the information?
Cheers
Not here in the US.
Yes here in Australia (down under forum. Fair dinkum y septics cherp up eres got me beat.)
Most beekeeping supplies have a nutritional label sticker available, or pull one off the www then print your own.
Ours is part of our own thermo print label.
But as to who is monitoring whether or not your honey has it, is another question.
Good luck.
Nutritional information labels start at about 4 cents each from the beekeeping suppliers.
You can also make your own pretty easily through the Food Standards website. I did that then pasted it to a label using an avery label making kit I bought for around $15 from office works. Check out http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/npc/Pages/Nutrition-Panel-Calculator-introduction.aspx
How would the Aussie forum cope without you Sawdustmaker??
Thanks Jim W. Beat me to it.
I have posted the following info on a previous post re labelling.
"I would recommend that you label your honey as required by the code. Labelling info here
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/publications/portal/food-safety-labelling/label-buster-guide-bus.pdf
That document will make your eyes glaze over. In summary you need
Name of food - Honey
Street address of the business
Best before date - I put 2 years however you could argue that honey has a shelf life of greater than 2 years therefore not required.
Storage instructions - e.g. Store below 25 degrees c or something else that suits you.
Nutrition information panel
Product of Australia
Weight
PM me if this doesn't make sense I may be able to help further."
http://foodsafetyprogram.net.au/consult/food-labeling/
Yantabulla
You can substitute the best before date with a batch number the reflects the date of harvest - I use the date backwards and start with the hive number - HHYYMMDD
Also as honey is a natural product the nutritional info can be generic and does not need to be proved
Wombat can you let me know where you found the information about substituting the batch number & BB date?
Either the labelling regs or on a site like Quality beekeeping supplies
Quote from: yantabulla on August 31, 2016, 06:07:40 AM
How would the Aussie forum cope without you Sawdustmaker??
Thanks Jim W. Beat me to it.
I have posted the following info on a previous post re labelling.
"I would recommend that you label your honey as required by the code. Labelling info here
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/publications/portal/food-safety-labelling/label-buster-guide-bus.pdf
That document will make your eyes glaze over. In summary you need
Name of food - Honey
Street address of the business
Best before date - I put 2 years however you could argue that honey has a shelf life of greater than 2 years therefore not required.
Storage instructions - e.g. Store below 25 degrees c or something else that suits you.
Nutrition information panel
Product of Australia
Weight
PM me if this doesn't make sense I may be able to help further."
http://foodsafetyprogram.net.au/consult/food-labeling/
Yantabulla
Are you saying only Ausie's can respond to Down Under threads?
So if a new beeks in the US sees this thread they might think that it applies here also and think they have to do it. We have too much government control as it is that we have to follow without having our new beeks add your rules to them.
Jim
No. Your right.I'm wrong. Go for it. Knock yourself out. Enjoy.
Thanks all that's very helpful.
Cheers
Simon
Can the best before date be written on? Or does it have to be printed?
Hand written is fine. Well here in Australia anyway, I'm not sure about that any where else. But as this is posted on the down under part of the forum I'm assuming you mean here in Australia.
Thanks 😀 Yeah I believe I am still part of Australia
All be it a cool bit 🤔
Still it is Spring now apparently 😀
G'day Wombat,
I just wanted to clarify the requirements for best before dates for you and anyone else who is interested.
The link to date marking in the Food Standards Code is here https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016C00160 just so you can see I'm not making anything up.
As I said in my previous post one could argue that honey has a shelf life of greater than 2 years therefore it doesn't need a best before date. I prefer not to argue so to avoid conflict with food inspectors that can't interpret the Food Standards Code I use a best before date of 2 years which give the consumer plenty of time to consume a 1kg tub of honey.
I am the first to confess that the food labelling laws in Australia are confusing. I had 16 years as a Food Inspector with the NSW Govt & I now consult to industry.
In general terms labelled food requires a use by or best before date. It also requires a lot number for traceability. Link to relevant part of the Food Standards Code here https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015L00389
Where it is convenient e.g. when you only package one batch of honey in a 24 hr period your best before date can be your batch code. So I kill two birds with one stone & apply a best before date that I can link to a harvest date through my own traceability records. I may have 10 x 10 litre buckets from one extraction with several different best before dates however I can still maintain traceability. It keeps the health inspectors at bay & meets all the requirements.
Yes you can handwrite the BB date.
Sawdustmaker I am sometimes concerned that Aussies on this forum may accept your advice when you may not be quite up to speed on how thing work here. I have no comprehension of how you can respond to almost every post on this forum.
Yantabulla
Just as a matter of interest Yantabulla my first job out of Uni as a Pharmacist was with a large international drug company. The law allowed +10% -5% of the stated potency on the label. We made everything at +10%. Unless we had actual decomposition data we had to put an expiry date of 18 months. We often got large quantities of returned "out of date" product. It would get assayed and if within range it would get another batch number and another 18 months and sent out again. If below range it was remixed with some more active ingredient (liquids were easy, tablets and creams a little more time consuming) rebatched, filled and dated and sent out again. Rules are made to get around or should I say rules are made with out reality being accounted for.
Just some info I have found
http://www.capilano.com.au/au/faq/7/does-honey-go-off-or-spoil
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-expiration.html
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/ehu/28009.pdf
the relevant bit being page 5
5.1.1 Name of the food Food must be labelled with a name or description that will not mislead consumers. Where the Code specifically states the name of a food is a ?prescribed name? then that name must appear on the label.
Prescribed names are: fermented comminuted meat products [2.2.1] honey [2.8.2] infant formula [2.9.1] follow-on formula [2.9.1] formulated meal replacement [2.9.3] formulated supplementary food for young children [2.9.3] formulated supplementary food [2.9.4] formulated supplementary sports food [2.9.4].
Where the name of a food is not declared as a prescribed name, then the label must show a name or description that indicates the true nature of the food. The name may also include a process that the food has undergone, e.g. smoked salmon [1.2.2].
Examples Fruit and nut muesli English muffin Roast chicken roll Smoked fish.
5.1.2 Lot identification All food labels must include lot identification.
No specific form of words is required and this requirement is usually satisfied if the product is properly date marked (see section 5.4) and shows the name and business address of the manufacturer or packer. Where this is not sufficient then additional information that is part of a system devised by the manufacturer or packer must be used [1.2.2].
Foods exempt from bearing lot identification, other than those listed in section 3.1, include individual portions of ice cream or ice confection and food in small packages where the bulk package and the bulk container in which the food is stored or displayed for sale, includes lot identification.
5.1.3 Name and business address For food recall and contact purposes, food labels must include the name and business address in Australia or New Zealand, of the supplier (manufacturer, packer, vendor or importer) of the food. A full business address is required, including the street number, the street name, the town or suburb and State. A post office box or similar postal address is not sufficient.
Thanks,
I appreciate your full explanations gents.
Cheers
Quote from: Wombat2 on September 01, 2016, 05:55:38 AM
Just as a matter of interest Yantabulla my first job out of Uni as a Pharmacist was with a large international drug company. The law allowed +10% -5% of the stated potency on the label. We made everything at +10%. Unless we had actual decomposition data we had to put an expiry date of 18 months. We often got large quantities of returned "out of date" product. It would get assayed and if within range it would get another batch number and another 18 months and sent out again. If below range it was remixed with some more active ingredient (liquids were easy, tablets and creams a little more time consuming) rebatched, filled and dated and sent out again. Rules are made to get around or should I say rules are made with out reality being accounted for.
That would be what the food industry calls reworking :wink: