• “Processing” means extracting honey and placing it in containers for wholesale or retail sale.
• “Retail” means selling, serving, or giving away honey directly to the consumer.
• “Wholesale” means selling/bartering to retailers or jobbers rather than directly to the public.

 
1. Michigan beekeepers are not required to obtain a Food Establishment License if they process and retail their own honey on their own premises.

2. Michigan beekeepers are required to obtain a Food Establishment License if:

(a) They process and retail honey at various locations.  Only one license is required at the production facility, but the honey can be sold at farmers’ markets, craft shows, restaurants, retail stores, and other public venues without an additional license for each location.

(b) They process and wholesale honey.     

            

Guidelines for Honey Processors:

Facility Requirements

Processing facility  
A honey house is any stationary or portable building, or any room or place within a building used for the purpose of extracting, processing and/or handling of honey.  It must be constructed in a sanitary manner, suitable to the operation, well maintained, and in good repair and vermin proof.  During the processing of honey, this place is to be used only for operation or storage of equipment incidental to the activity.  (This room excludes the family kitchen.) The grounds adjacent to this building should be free from all litter, waste, refuse or anything that may constitute an attractant, breeding place or harborage for rodents, insects and other pests.

Floors
Floors of all rooms in which honey is handled must be of impervious and easily cleaned material and must be smooth, in good repair and kept clean. Floors that have a drain should drain into an approved sewage disposal system.

Walls and Ceilings   
Walls  and  ceilings  shall  have  washable surfaces, be clean, and kept in good repair.

Ventilated Openings
There shall be adequate ventilation and all ventilated openings shall be screened to exclude insects. It may be that honey bees enter the extracting facility, but efforts should be made to control entry and to eliminate bees once inside.

Lighting  
Permanently fixed light source shall be sufficient to permit efficient operations. All lights over the processing area shall have protective shielding or be shatter resistant.

Water Supply  
There shall be an adequate source of safe potable water under pressure in accordance with local sanitary codes. Water from a nonpublic source (private well) shall be tested at least once a year (contact local health department about testing procedures and locations).

Water Disposal  
There shall be an efficient waste disposal system available. Toilet facilities, including hand-washing basins, shall be conveniently available to honey-house personnel.

Vector Control  
No chemicals or poisons shall be used to control insects or  rodents while supers of honey are stored in the facility or extracting of honey is proceeding. Follow label instructions and use only approved pesticides.

Construction, Care, Use and Repair of Honey House, Containers and Equipment   
During operation, the honey house shall be used exclusively for extraction, processing, packing or other handling of honey and storage of equipment related to the activity of the honey house. Containers shall be free  of internal rust, cleaned before use. Honey shall not be packed in containers which have previously contained pesticides, creosote, petroleum  products, paint, toxic substances or any thing that would react with honey. All equipment should be covered when not in use.  Extracting equipment shall have hard surfaces that will not permit reaction of the acid in honey and should be lubricated only with food-grade grease.

Heating Equipment  
No boiler, oil stove or other heating equipment that gives off odor or dust may be used within the honey house, unless it is properly ventilated and complies with fire regulations.

Workers Sanitation
Workers shall maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and wear clean, washable outer garments.  

Hand Washing
Station shall be conveniently located, easily accessible and supplied with tempered water, soap, single service disposable paper towels or an effective sanitary drying device.

Utensil / Equipment Cleaning
A sink with sufficient compartments or other facilities shall be conveniently located to facilitate the cleaning and sanitizing of all processing utensils and equipment.  A food-grade sanitizer shall be available and a method to test the level of sanitizer being used to ensure the level is nontoxic. All chemical sanitizers shall be listed in 21 CFR 178.101 Sanitizing Solutions and used in accordance with the EPA-approved manufacturer’s label-use instructions. If using fresh hot water, sanitization equipment / utensil surface temperatures must reach at least 171F (77C).

Processing
Equipment shall be constructed of durable, smooth and easily cleanable materials, well maintained and stored to avoid contamination.

Bee Hive Equipment  
Extracting supers shall be clean and free of contamination. Medication is to be applied only when required following label directions. Supers should be covered, transported in clean vehicles and stored in a clean/sanitary area prior to extracting.

Extracting Honey  
Uncapping should be done under sanitary conditions.   Extracted honey should be covered if the process is not continuous. Each lot is processed separately and a sample of each lot shall be retained with proper label identification.

Straining of honey shall be done with a clean mesh cloth material or stainless steel mesh. Reuse of cloth mesh is not advisable. If honey is filtered, the filters should be checked for damage to ensure they are clean and free from extraneous material.

Packaging Honey: Bottling and Labeling Requirements
The processing of honey for bottling shall be done in a clean/sanitary devoted facility. Retail and wholesale honey containers should be labeled with: product identity, ingredients if any are added, a production or lot code, name, address of manufacturer, packer or distributor, and net weight.

Cooperative Honey Houses (Central Kitchens)
As a cooperative honey house, multiple processors can use the licensed facility. The processors that use the facility are not required to obtain a license. Accurate records of members using the facility will be kept. From time to time, MDA will examine the production records to verify that honey found in commerce was actually produced at the cooperative.

Transport of Supers
Vehicles used to transport supers after removal must be clean. Supers must be covered during transport to prevent environmental contamination. Storage of supers must occur in a clean and sanitary environment.

Application for an MDA, Food and Dairy Division Food Establishment License (honey house) may be obtained from a regional MDA office below.  The current cost for inspection and registration is found on the form they will provide. MDA does offer a free plan-review service where they will review your plans for a new or remodeled honey house.

For further information, please contact a regional MDA Food & Dairy Division office:

Upper Peninsula  (region 1)                      
Charles Shelley, Supervisor                      
2401 12th Ave. N                                        
Escanaba MI 49829                                   
Phone (906) 786-5462                               
Toll Free: 888-684-7758                             
Fax: (906) 786-4196


Northern Michigan (region 2)                     
Charles Shelley, Supervisor                             
701 S. Elmwood, Ste 9                              
Traverse City, MI 49684-3185                     
Phone: (231) 922-5210                                
Fax: (231) 922-5236                                    


West Michigan (region 3)                           
Susan Brace                                               
State Office Bldg.                                       
350 Ottawa NW – Unit #1                          
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2348                   
Phone: (616) 356-0600                               
Fax: (616) 356-0622                                


East Michigan (region 4)
Michael Juhasz, Supervisor
Saginaw Regional Office
1585 Tittabawassee Rd.
Saginaw, MI 48604
Phone: (989) 758-1778
Fax: (989) 758-1484


Southwest Michigan (region 5)
Susan Brace, Supervisor
4032 Bldg. #116
St. Joseph, MI 49085-9647
Phone: (269) 428-2546
Fax: (269) 429-1007


Central Michigan (region 6)
525 W. Allegan Street
Lansing, Michigan 48933
Fax:  (517) 373-3333

Southeast Michigan (region 7)
Karen Butler, Supervisor
26400 Lahser Rd, Suite 415
Southfield, MI  48034
Phone: 248) 356-1700
FAX: (248) 356-3074


Alternatively, you may contact

Roger Sutherland, SouthEast Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA)
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: (517) 373-1060