Introducing a new lip balm label should be a straightforward process. It’s an established product with standard recipes, packaging, and market categories. You can even purchase a vial labeler that labels small tubes with minimal setup. However, label regulations and FDA guidelines are confusing. It might require specific phrasing to be legal, including a combination of drug and cosmetics labeling information. Working with regulations on the confined space of a lip balm tube can give you a major headache. How do you pull these elements together to make a compliant yet attractive custom lip balm label? Before you begin, understand the lip balm labeling requirements. Read more
Supply chain disruptions can come from a variety of places: tariffs, economic downturns, shifts in the market, counterfeiting, supplier shutdowns, cyberattacks, and more. Effective Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) includes a set of strategies that mitigate external risks at every stage of the global supply chain — from ordering materials to managing customer returns. Read more
No company handles everything internally. Even small businesses still work with a range of service providers, covering everything from accounting to safety equipment. Why shouldn’t you do the same for logistics operations? Third-party logistics (3PL) companies manage your inventory and shipping for you, so you don’t need to worry about storage and fulfillment. Even better, since they specialize in this work, these companies can leverage their expertise and offer greater scalability — helping with important factors like reduced logistics costs, enhanced customer satisfaction, and strengthened bottom line. Take Amazon, for example — one of the most well-known 3PL providers. Businesses of all sizes use Amazon’s logistics network to scale operations, reach more customers, and streamline delivery. Read more
In today’s world, honey has one of the most varied markets of any food, ranging from the hobbyist beekeeper selling at local farmers markets to giant international corporations shipping around the world. According to the National Honey Board, honey is also heavily used in packaged foods with 65% of sales being bulk sales for food service and food manufacturers.
As a manufacturer, it’s important to know how to label honey in a way that attracts and informs consumers while complying with local and federal regulations.
Unlike most foods, labeling requirements and best practices for honey vary widely depending on the market. This guide walks you through these important regulations to ensure your labels look their best when they reach consumers.
Label Requirements for All Honey Products
Federal requirements for honey labeling are covered by 21 U.S.C. 342 and 343. This includes sections 402 and 403 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Surprisingly, there are only three federal requirements on all honey labels:
Common Name
If the product is pure honey, its common name must be “honey.” If the product contains other sweeteners, the ingredient list and name must clearly state what is in the container. Usually, this takes the form of “a blend of” followed by sweeteners in order of percentage. For example, if the product is mostly honey with some corn syrup, it should be labeled “A Blend of Honey and Corn Syrup.”
For flavored honeys, the common name should refer to the primarily flavoring, i.e. “Strawberry-flavored Honey.”
Net Weight
The weight is listed at the bottom 30% of the principal display panel (PDP) on the inner and outer packaging. It must be listed in both customary and metric units.
Contact Information
This requirement includes the address, phone number and other contact information for the manufacturer, packer or distributor.
Optional and Conditionally-Required Information for Your Honey Jar Label
Packagers have the option of naming specific floral sources, like clover honey, in the common name. When you claim the floral source of the honey, you must have proof that the name matches the chief floral source for the product.
An ingredient statement is not required on pure honey to meet FDA labeling requirements. All other products must list the ingredients by weight in order from heaviest to lightest.
After debating whether sweeteners like honey are “added” sugar, the FDA came to a compromise for nutrition labeling on these products.
The format of the Nutrition Facts is the same as any other label, except it must include a footnote. This footnote at the bottom of the label states “One serving adds (grams) of sugar to your diet and represents (percent) of the Daily Value for Added Sugars.” The amounts vary, but for typical pure honey, this will be 17g and 34% for a standard tablespoon serving.
There are labeling exemptions for honey producers making less than $500,000 per year, as long as there aren’t health claims on the label. For more information, read this guidance document on FDA.gov.
It is generally recommended to include the statement “WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old.” As honey bees gather nectar and turn it into honey, they can pick up Clostridium botulinum spores. Approximately 20% of all botulism cases are linked to honey, and 90% of cases occur in infants under 6 months old.
The country of origin is required for imported products, even if they’re packaged in the U.S. The country of origin does not need to be included on domestic honey.
Production and “best by” dates are optional on honey and honey products. Raw honey doesn’t go bad, as long as it isn’t contaminated or exposed to moisture. However, it can crystallize and change flavor over time. The USDA recommends consuming honey within a year of production for the best flavor, and notes that significant flavor is lost after 5 years of storage.
There’s more than one way to certify and label organic products, including organic honey. To learn more about certification and labeling, check out our blog entry “Your Guide to Organic Food Label Requirements.”
Honey Grades
While not required, listing the honey grade on your product label helps inform consumers about your product. This grading is based on flavor, aroma and clarity. USDA grades are determined by points scored using tables IV and V in the U.S. Grade Standards for Extracted Honey:
U.S. Grade A – 90 points
U.S. Grade B – 80 points
U.S. Grade C – 70 points
Substandard – Below 70 points
Color is measured using a Pfund scale. This measures optical density: the higher the number, the darker the honey. While there are many terms in use to describe honey color, these are the official names and Pfund unit ranges recognized by the USDA:
– Water White – 0 – 8 mm
– Extra Light – 8 – 16 mm
– Light – 16 – 34 mm
– Extra Light Amber – 35 – 50 mm
– Light Amber – 51 – 84 mm
– Amber – 85 – 114 mm
– Dark – 115 – 140 mm
The Department of Agriculture does not use color to determine the grade, since it varies depending on the floral source. For example, high-quality citrus honey is usually Extra Light, while heather honey is usually Amber.
What Can be Called “Local” Honey?
Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont are the only states that have strict rules on which food products can be called “locally grown.” Sometimes products must be produced and packaged within the state, while others allow out-of-state products, as long as they’re produced within a certain distance of the retailer.
In other states, meeting requirements for local production allows producers to take advantage of local advertising campaigns or become a preferred supplier for school lunch programs. The National Honey Board released a white paper on the subject, covering regulations across the country.
Choosing and Applying Your Honey Label
Whether you’re a beekeeper, running a co-op, or packaging honey from a variety of suppliers, choosing the right label has a big impact on your product. This extends from bottling all the way to the disposal of empty containers.
Food labeling must remain intact during the life of the product to inform consumers about food safety, and it also plays an important role in attracting customers when they’re browsing store shelves.
Bottling in plastic containers adds two challenges: flexing and outgassing.
BOPP and vinyl face stock are the top choices for these containers, because they won’t wrinkle when bent or stretched. This makes them ideal for squeezable containers. Outgassing is when gases pass through plastic, either from the inside of the container or the plastic itself. This can form bubbles underneath the surface of the label. Using fine adhesive carriers allows gases to escape before they collect under the label.
Bottling in glass containers requires less thought about label material and more thought about placement. Pressure sensitive labels wrinkle or flag if placed on areas with complex curves, like the top and bottom edges of a jar. These containers frequently have surface inconsistencies that can shift the placement of labels on each container. Adding 1/8 to 1/4 inch of overrun space keeps the label on the body of the jar.
The easiest way to add production or “best by” dates is by using a print-and-apply labeler. It has a print engine that adds black and white text to the label just before it’s applied. The date can be set directly on the machine or it can be transmitted to the labeler’s PLC over your operating technology system.
Since bulk sales make up the majority of the honey market, it pays to have a system in place for large containers. Our pail labeling system has no problem handling the 5 gallon pails commonly used to supply industrial and food service customers.
Get the Reliability You Need for Labeling Your Honey Products
No matter the scale of your operation, CTM Labeling Systems has the equipment you need to label your honey. Contact us to be put in touch with a local CTM distributor. They’ll work with you to set up a system that integrates into your existing production system with minimal downtime and application issues.
Self-adhesive labels are the go-to choice for many labeling needs, offering high-quality solutions for packaging across industries. However, they aren’t always the best fit for every situation. In some cases, alternative labeling methods such as wet glue labels, shrink sleeves, or direct printing may be more appropriate. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of these options, you can determine the best fit for your needs. Read more
From tracking packages to enhancing restaurant menus, QR code labels are everywhere. Why? Well, they store more data than traditional barcodes and can be scanned easily with a smartphone or standard scanner.
Even large corporations like Android and Amazon use QR code stickers to build their brand and deliver important information to their customers, streamlining everything from checkout processes to shipping labels. Those snazzy QR code labels can elevate your small business, too.
Let’s get into the details of using readable, fast, and effective QR labels.
Whether you deal in business-to-business or direct-to-consumer sales, direct shipping is an increasingly important part of all product-based businesses. Worldwide eCommerce sales went from $26 billion to $5.2 trillion between 1998 and 2021, and it’s estimated that 16.6% of consumer spending will be online in 2025.
Knowing how to make a shipping label and securely place it is crucial to customer satisfaction. A properly printed and placed label reduces long shipping times and incorrect shipments, guaranteeing a good relationship between your online store and customers. Read more
When it comes to chemical safety, there’s no room for ambiguity. Which is why you need to be able to use and identify GHS Symbols accurately.
To protect people handling dangerous chemicals shipped around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations teamed up to create a universal labeling system. The result is the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). This standard for hazard labels is designed to allow small changes for local use while still being easy to read worldwide.
OSHA integrated GHS into HAZCOM regulations in 2016. Currently, GHS is in use in over 80 countries.
GHS labels are designed to be easy to read through the life of the product, requiring standard formatting on durable labels that are placed in a way that reduces the chance of damage during storage and use.
Since it would be impossible to cover every language in complying countries, GHS labels feature large pictograms that tell handlers potential hazards at a glance.
One of the biggest trends over the past few years in product packaging is the use of texture.
The most popular way to add texture to labels is to change the actual shape of the printed materials. Usually, this is done with embossing or debossing. Both printing methods make an impression on the paper stock, but there are a few differences.
If you’re making the choice between embossed vs debossed labels, you need to consider the printing process for both and know what kind of paper stock you need.
If you want to reduce the environmental impact of your products, you need to consider every part of them, including the labels. Eco friendly labels aren’t just recyclable stickers. To reduce your products’ impact on the environment, you need to account for several factors:
– Is the label made with sustainable materials?
– Does it interfere with container recycling?
– Does the choice of materials reduce the total energy and resources used during manufacturing?
– Does it reduce the pollutants released into the environment?
– Does it take into account real world recycling access and consumer habits?