Mississippi direct-to-consumer compliance, guide 13 of 24

Honey

Raw honey from small beekeepers needs no facility inspection but must carry a specific label.

Farm Exempt
500 galannual sales above which MSDH inspection applies
Infant warningrequired on every retail jar
Honey onlyno additives allowed in the word honey
Tax freeat certified farmers markets

What is covered

  • Honey from your own hives, under 500 gallons a year
  • Labeled flavored honey (cinnamon honey, infused honey)
  • Sales at markets, farm stands and local shops

Needs a different path

  • Honey blended with corn syrup or other sweeteners sold simply as honey
  • Honey from bees fed sugar syrup
  • Lab-grown honey-like products labeled honey

Three compliance steps

  1. A

    Stay under 500 gallons

    Producers selling under 500 gallons a year are not inspected unless they ask. At 500 gallons and up, MSDH inspects the bottling facility annually.

  2. B

    Label correctly

    Producer address, net weight in English and metric units, and the warning not to feed honey to infants under 1 year of age.

  3. C

    Describe it honestly

    Anything added to honey must be named in descending order, and the product cannot be labeled just honey.

Quick reference

ItemRuleRegulator
InspectionNone under 500 gallons a year unless requested; yearly above thatMSDH
Policy statusMSDH 2019 policy treats honey as raw agricultural commodity; can changeMSDH
WarningDo not feed to infants under 1 year of ageMSDH
Address and weightProducer address; net weight English and metricMDAC / MSDH
DefinitionNo added ingredients; flavored honey needs ingredient listMiss. Code 75-29-601
Sales taxHoney from a certified farmers market is exemptMS DOR / MDAC

Common questions

What counts as infrequent casual sales?

The statute does not define it, and MSDH has read it strictly for regular shelf sales. Ask MSDH if you stock a store weekly.

Do stores need inspected honey?

Some large retailers require MSDH-inspected bottling. Small local shops usually do not.

Can I add cinnamon to honey?

Yes, but the label must say flavored or infused and list ingredients, not just honey.

Printable checklist