Honey Labelling - Origin

[itma]

Returning to the original topic, geographic origin labelling, I'm going to pick up on what Alan wrote a month ago … specifically regarding mandatory country of origin labelling, such as "Produced in the UK"

The rules are in "The Honey (England) Regulations 2003" http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2243/made Minor amendments from 2005 and 2007 don't change the geographic requirements. The legislation and the DEFRA "Guidance Notes" to the Honey Regulations (2003) http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/honeyguidance.pdf both also refer to the "Food Labelling Regulations 1996" http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/contents/made This applies to the the packer more than than the producer and is where the packer's contact address etc are covered. The Guidance Notes come with a warning that legal interpretation is for the courts, but they are a pretty good basis for your reading of the statutes if Trading Standards question what you have on the label. As devolved legislation the links are English; there are equivalents elsewhere.

As 4.1(ii) on page 12 of the notes says, the country is mandatory, but not defined. Not very helpful. In practice country could be, but is not always the equivalent of EU member state. As it suggests, "Produce of England" or "Produce of UK" would be fine …

Those "Guidance Notes" have another section (4.6 Prepacked for Direct Sale) which explains that - specifically for "Direct" sales from producer to customer - the regulations can be read to mean that the country of origin is not mandatory information on the label.

It appears that the BBKA leaflet on the legalities of selling erroneously attributes the "Direct Sales" exemption to Lot Number and 'Durability Indication' (Best Before) when in fact it seems to refer to Country of Origin.

However, regardless of this possible exemption, I'd suggest that "best practice" would be to include Lot Number, Durability Indication and Country of Origin on all your labels. Easier to do that than prove to some jobsworth that you know the law better than they do … and then deal with the resulting continued resentment.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

regardless of this possible exemption, I'd suggest that "best practice" would be to include Lot Number, Durability Indication and Country of Origin on all your labels. Easier to do that than prove to some jobsworth that you know the law better than they do … and then deal with the resulting continued resentment.

 

[Dishmop]

Some time back there was a thread about honey that was called "Regents Park Honey" (?)

There was query as to if it could be called that as the pollen may not all have been foraged from the park...

I think the conclusion was that it wasnt important where the foraging was carried out because the honey was made in the park.

Same as most food products...... Chicken from Europe cooked in the UK is a product of the UK.

If you imported honey and flavoured it or added fruit, its a UK product.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'd suggest that "best practice" would be to include Lot Number, Durability Indication and Country of Origin on all your labels. Easier to do that than prove to some jobsworth that you know the law better than they do … and then deal with the resulting continued resentment.

That is exactly what I have done.
I have return address labels( cheap cheap) from Vistaprint. Plain white with black lettering, indicating HONEY and weight, contact details, produce of Wales, BBE and Lot no which can be filled in by hand.
These go on the back of the jar, towards the bottom leaving me free to indulge my artistic abandon with the front label.

 

[casualman]

Honey is produced in the hive although its ingredients may originate several miles away. Therefore you can name your honey after the village the hive is located in even if the bees do not forage within the boundaries of that village.

 

[alanf]

However, regardless of this possible exemption, I'd suggest that "best practice" would be to include Lot Number, Durability Indication and Country of Origin on all your labels. Easier to do that than prove to some jobsworth that you know the law better than they do … and then deal with the resulting continued resentment.

Quite right. If you go to the trouble of printing labels you might as well cover most eventualities. Otherwise you might need different labels for sales from the gate and, for instance, selling a few through the association stall at a summer fair.

I have return address labels( cheap cheap) from Vistaprint. Plain white with black lettering, indicating HONEY and weight, contact details, produce of Wales, BBE and Lot no which can be filled in by hand. These go on the back of the jar, towards the bottom leaving me free to indulge my artistic abandon with the front label.

If you look at any commercial package, that's what most do. Not use your drawings - I mean all the statutory stuff goes round the back, including the straight name-of-food description "baked beans in tomato sauce" plus nutrition and ingredients for anything other than basic foodstuffs. Durability and lot number is usually "see cap" or similar where it's stamped on the production line. Then they can use as much misspelt branding and logos as they like on the front, even changing it completely for periodic promotional stuff.

One thing to beware of with printed address labels, most of the formats assume uniform font size - the weight has to be a minimum size of 4mm for the usual jar capacities of 340 g or 454 g. Another is not to use your usual email address with Vistaprint if you don't want junk emails every other day. If you print your own, which saves hand writing lot number and best before date, the free Avery DesignPro software is a decent starting point. The templates are set for their label sizes, but many own brand labels use the same.

 

[bontbee]

What kind of printer do people who print their own labels use, please?

ta

 

[oliver90owner]

Produce of UK might be problematic for some, if the Scottish vote for independence.

 

[cjhart2]

What kind of printer do people who print their own labels use, please?

ta

colour laser with permanent labels . Simple really , when it gets damp the writing and label does not come off .

 

[fatshark]

That is exactly what I have done.
I have return address labels( cheap cheap) from Vistaprint. Plain white with black lettering, indicating HONEY and weight, contact details, produce of Wales, BBE and Lot no which can be filled in by hand.
These go on the back of the jar, towards the bottom leaving me free to indulge my artistic abandon with the front label.

My understanding was that BB and weight and the identity have to all be within sight on the front of the jar. I guess that makes your front label officially the back label?

 

[itma]

My understanding was that BB and weight and the identity have to all be within sight on the front of the jar. I guess that makes your front label officially the back label?

This actually comes up with French wine - where the declaration of grape variety is actually not allowed alongside the statutory information.
So the solution to selling a French bottle as "Merlot" was to have that on an attractive label that the shopkeeper might turn towards the customer!

We do actually have a requirement that our honey's statutory information must not be "interrupted" by any other verbal or pictorial matter. Which I take to mean as actually outlawing the common practice of printing it over the top of a pretty picture.
Far better to group all the statutory stuff, either on a plain label or on a plain panel at one side of the label, and allow your creativity free rein on using the remaining space to create your own brand identity and marketing message without the legal constraints.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Should we add a label to ensure customer stacks the jar the right way round at home?

 

[bontbee]

colour laser with permanent labels . Simple really , when it gets damp the writing and label does not come off .

Do you have a laser at home, or do you use a print company? I looked into laser printers a while back and it ran into £100s....I really wanted a home solution, but that would have made for extremely expensive labels. That's when I had the bright idea of taking my design and the labels to a professional company. Not quite as convenient as a home DIY label, though.

 

[cjhart2]

Do you have a laser at home, or do you use a print company? I looked into laser printers a while back and it ran into £100s....I really wanted a home solution, but that would have made for extremely expensive labels. That's when I had the bright idea of taking my design and the labels to a professional company. Not quite as convenient as a home DIY label, though.

I got a samsung clp320 about £90 on Amazon about 2 years ago , infact i bought 2 . Just looked on Amazon and the clp 365 is £89.95 . The replacement cartridges are expensive but refill chips and toner are available and works out very cheap . Also produces a good finish and allows us to alter the labels for the Jam and Chutneys as we go along , we now supply to a stately home and they are more than happy with us producing their label on our printer . We buy bulk labels and for the size we buy works out at less than a 1p a label for the front label and less than 0.2p for the back label . Hope that helps

 

[bontbee]

It does, thanks very much. Time to revisit it, ta.

 

[BeeJayBee]

You might not like PC World much, but they have a couple of fairly budget laser printers at the moment. Brother or Samsung. Cheapest print only mono, the others do colour too.

 

[bontbee]

thanks for those suggestions, too, BJf

 

[alanf]

My understanding was that BB and weight and the identity have to all be within sight on the front of the jar. I guess that makes your front label officially the back label?

Food labelling regulations 1996. There is no mention of front or back (or sides/top/bottom for that matter). The phrase is "field of vision" (para 39). there is no further explanation. If you think about it, you can't determine which way round it sits on the shelf. My guess is that the intention is that the customer should not have to search all over for the information. They might have to pick it up but find part and the rest should all be either visible in that view or the location indicated (e.g. best before, see cap).

There is actually no mention of information being on a label glued to the jar either. It has to be (35):
(a)on the packaging, or
(b)on a label attached to the packaging, or
(c)on a label that is clearly visible through the packaging,

It could be printed on a box that you put the jar in, or on a label tied firmly to the jar to take examples from other foods you might see.

Para 38 has that the label must be: "easy to understand, clearly legible and indelible and, when a food is sold to the ultimate consumer, the said particulars shall be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible". As for much legislation, " indelible", "legible" and other terms are left for the courts to interpret. Given the examples elsewhere, size is no problem as long as it's clear. There's nothing to say it has to be waterproof or finished in any specific way, although hand written in soft pencil is probably not a good move as it's clearly not indelible. The shiny labels sold by the largest supplier are overprinted by laser, it rubs off with prolonged handling. The practical test has to be if it is easily readable when sold. Home printing on the precut labels from stationery suppliers on inkjet or laser printer does the job for many. It's what thousands of farm shops across the country use for goods in chilled cabinets and freezers, a harsher environment than most honey jars will ever be stored in.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Food labelling regulations 1996. There is no mention of front or back (or sides/top/bottom for that matter). The phrase is "field of vision" (para 39). there is no further explanation. If you think about it, you can't determine which way round it sits on the shelf. My guess is that the intention is that the customer should not have to search all over for the information. They might have to pick it up but find part and the rest should all be either visible in that view or the location indicated (e.g. best before, see cap).

There is actually no mention of information being on a label glued to the jar either. It has to be (35):
(a)on the packaging, or
(b)on a label attached to the packaging, or
(c)on a label that is clearly visible through the packaging,

It could be printed on a box that you put the jar in, or on a label tied firmly to the jar to take examples from other foods you might see.

Para 38 has that the label must be: "easy to understand, clearly legible and indelible and, when a food is sold to the ultimate consumer, the said particulars shall be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible". As for much legislation, " indelible", "legible" and other terms are left for the courts to interpret. Given the examples elsewhere, size is no problem as long as it's clear. There's nothing to say it has to be waterproof or finished in any specific way, although hand written in soft pencil is probably not a good move as it's clearly not indelible. The shiny labels sold by the largest supplier are overprinted by laser, it rubs off with prolonged handling. The practical test has to be if it is easily readable when sold. Home printing on the precut labels from stationery suppliers on inkjet or laser printer does the job for many. It's what thousands of farm shops across the country use for goods in chilled cabinets and freezers, a harsher environment than most honey jars will ever be stored in.

I did quite a bit of digging around on this subject when I had my labels designed as SWMBO didn't want anything marring the front label apart from 'Brynmair Pure Welsh honey' in two languages (have to be bisexual in this day and age! ) I can't remember now where I got confirmation but no, it doesn't have to be on the front of the jar just that all the information has to be within the same field of vision. So plain label on the front - all the statutory gubbins on the back

 

[Davelin]

I did quite a bit of digging around on this subject when I had my labels designed as SWMBO didn't want anything marring the front label apart from 'Brynmair Pure Welsh honey' in two languages (have to be bisexual in this day and age! ) I can't remember now where I got confirmation but no, it doesn't have to be on the front of the jar just that all the information has to be within the same field of vision. So plain label on the front - all the statutory gubbins on the back

I have pretty label on front with loose description of area, my address, country of origin, weight etc.
Lot no and BB date on separate label at back.

Won a prize at Bath and West show, so judges there must have been happy I was legal.