Price of honey jars - up , up , up

[Jules59]

Just received the new price list from our usual club supplier (Rawlings/ Compak) and nearly fainted.
Last year prices were up 5% and we were told to expect further increases.
But the price for 12oz Hex jar is up a further 43% to 47.6p per jar & lid, delivered.
The membership won't be happy. Let's hope they don't shoot the messenger.

 

[Ian123]

It was warned/predicted late last year!

 

[Jules59]

It was warned/predicted late last year!

Indeed we were warned but I was hoping for 20% at worst. Oh well.

 

[Moobee]

I just checked Freeman Harding……. I paid 43p for a half pound jar & lid last year. They’re now 62p with BBKA 10% discount

 

[Newbeeneil]

BFA have said prices are up at the end of the month so I'm now desperately looking for somewhere to store a pallet load!

 

[Murox]

Just too add my heretical comment ......for smaller quantities, (i.e. a gross) I have found the most cost effective way for me to get jars and lids is to ferret out "deals" and use the ubiquitous Amazon supply chains. The costs have risen and for me living where pretty much everything has to be delivered their delivery policies currently work in my favour. I only use 227g hex jars and the cost of labels plus jar was just over 85 pence per unit last season, just about sustainable at my scale.

 

[Niv]

Best price i can find (If I collect) is 56p for jar + lid...

 

[bobba]

I just checked my old jar supplier - same story i am afraid. Price up by over 50% since my last order!

I think its worth trying to collect and reuse jars from customers where possible. Then you only need new lids.

 

[Wilco]

Bottle Company South.

Ring up to check delivery costs but I ordered enough to come on a pallet last year as worked out better.

432 8oz hex with lids currently approx 37.5p each plus delivery.

384 8oz round with lids approx. 37.2p each

336 275ml 'hero' (approx. 12oz) round with lids approx. 37.11p each

336 12oz hex with lids approx. 42.6p each

Delivery for first unit in above quantities £32.50
Delivery if ordering multiples of above units £55.00 flat rate.
If you buy 1000 jars, £55.00 adds 5.5p a jar.

Prices as currently shown on their website.

It's a lot of jars but if you don't have many colonies yet have storage space and plan to keep bees a while or can club together with other local beekeepers it should work out cheaper.

https://www.bottlecompanysouth.co.uk/jam-jars-c-74.html

Other factor:
Per oz cost of the above, 12oz round hero ones make more profit when selling honey in them.

E.g. If I sell honey in 8oz at £5 or 12oz at £7.50, the 12oz round jars are about the same cost to me as the 8oz options so I'd make marginally more profit with the 12oz jars. Providing I sell as many as I would if they were hex.

 

[JamezF]

I think its worth trying to collect and reuse jars from customers where possible. Then you only need new lids.

That probably becomes a food safety issue unfortunately, because you have no clear chain of custody for the glassware.

James

 

[fian]

That probably becomes a food safety issue unfortunately, because you have no clear chain of custody for the glassware.

James

Here there has also been a price increase in the jars. In September 2021, he acquired the 1kg round can with a lid for 35 euro cents. In September 2022 pay 60 cents.
Regarding reuse, it would have a double cost (sterilizing equipment) and a credit to its customers (promotion of return). Whether or not this compensates for the increased cost is something that will not be visible until a few years after making the investment.

 

[bobba]

I thought sterilization for honey jars was less rigorous than for other food related uses. I am sure I have read it can be done just using a microwave or oven.

 

[JamezF]

It's not just about sterlisation though. The bigger worry is probably physical damage to the glass, or just weakening of the glass that might turn into physical damage later on.

James

 

[RJC]

See here for Food Standards agency view. The Food Standards Agency and Re-Use of Jars – Bee 1st beekeeping supplies
Note also the 'compliance with European Legislation bit' All extant European legislation is up for review vial the Retained EU Law Bill, currently in Parliament.

 

[Karol]

It's not just about sterlisation though. The bigger worry is probably physical damage to the glass, or just weakening of the glass that might turn into physical damage later on.

James

I think what is more scary is that certain chemical solutions form a glass (crystalline film) when the solution dries out making them invisible against the glass itself. Some of these films are pretty difficult to wash away once in their anhydrous form. I certainly wouldn't risk reusing glass jars without 100% confidence of their providence which is simply not feasible at scale.

 

[ericbeaumont]

weakening of the glass that might turn into physical damage

Yes, I recall this came up last year, and Murray McGregor gave this insight:

Most, if not all, honey jars are made from a grade of glass called white flint. It is specifically a ONE use only type of glass. I know a lot of small producers take jars back and reuse them, but it is a high risk strategy for a few pence saved. On use or reuse...washing etc...especially round the top edge of the thread...contact can introduce microcracks you cannot see. Its not common but it is significant, and little shards of glass can come off and into the product. On a micro scale the chance is small, but you will NEVER find packers of any size reuse white flint glass. The legal consequences of an injury claim from glass fragments are severe, and as you have used glass contrary to the directions for use of while flint glass you will also find your insurance failing to fully (or at all) cover you.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I think what is more scary is that certain chemical solutions form a glass (crystalline film) when the solution dries out making them invisible against the glass itself. Some of these films are pretty difficult to wash away once in their anhydrous form. I certainly wouldn't risk reusing glass jars without 100% confidence of their providence which is simply not feasible at scale.

Also a visual inspection does not always show any fine chips or defects.
i would imagine should a claim be made against myself i am pretty sure the glass manufacturer will have a pretty robust mechanism in place to test if the container has been reused.
i have put some of the jars I keep for household honey through the dishwasher and even after the first cycle the clarity of the jar is effected.

 

[Karol]

Yes, I recall this came up last year, and Murray McGregor gave this insight:

Most, if not all, honey jars are made from a grade of glass called white flint. It is specifically a ONE use only type of glass. I know a lot of small producers take jars back and reuse them, but it is a high risk strategy for a few pence saved. On use or reuse...washing etc...especially round the top edge of the thread...contact can introduce microcracks you cannot see. Its not common but it is significant, and little shards of glass can come off and into the product. On a micro scale the chance is small, but you will NEVER find packers of any size reuse white flint glass. The legal consequences of an injury claim from glass fragments are severe, and as you have used glass contrary to the directions for use of while flint glass you will also find your insurance failing to fully (or at all) cover you.

Personally I don't like the term white flint glass because flint glass used to contain lead. Type III glass is a better term. Type III glass is susceptible to erosion from alkali and citrate especially. We have had razor sharp glass flakes come away when formulating a product which contained sodium citrate. Type III glass will also leach over time so can change the pH of certain contents. Great general purpose glass but as Murrays says, definitely one time use only.

 

[Moobee]

Yes, I recall this came up last year, and Murray McGregor gave this insight:

Most, if not all, honey jars are made from a grade of glass called white flint. It is specifically a ONE use only type of glass. I know a lot of small producers take jars back and reuse them, but it is a high risk strategy for a few pence saved. On use or reuse...washing etc...especially round the top edge of the thread...contact can introduce microcracks you cannot see. Its not common but it is significant, and little shards of glass can come off and into the product. On a micro scale the chance is small, but you will NEVER find packers of any size reuse white flint glass. The legal consequences of an injury claim from glass fragments are severe, and as you have used glass contrary to the directions for use of while flint glass you will also find your insurance failing to fully (or at all) cover you.

Our local Food Safety bods came and did a talk at our BKA about two years ago and said that as long as the jars had been thoroughly washed (ie through a dishwasher) which would remove any physical contaminants and that you were visually inspecting the jars, they had no problem with reuse.

 

[Karol]

Our local Food Safety bods came and did a talk at our BKA about two years ago and said that as long as the jars had been thoroughly washed (ie through a dishwasher) which would remove any physical contaminants and that you were visually inspecting the jars, they had no problem with reuse.

If you are reusing jars for personal use at personal risk then maybe. Just because they're food safety bods and knowledgable about hygeine doesn't mean they are experts on glass. Stick a pre-used type III glass jar that might for example have been used to store marmalade with a high citrate content in a dishwasher and you have no clue as to the effects of the alkali detergent, salt rinse and heat on the integrity of the jar, not just in the immediate term, i.e. what you can see, but importantly with regards to its latent stability, i.e. the changes that you can't see. Best advice is to use virgin jars if selling your product and reflect safety in your price accordingly.