Selling honey and maple syrup — safely!
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EmailFood safety is key to selling honey and maple syrup safely in Michigan. Learn about these practices and the exemption guidelines surrounding honey and maple syrup sales.
Honey and maple syrup are popular products to produce and sell in Michigan. It is important to follow safe food practices during the process of making these products, otherwise they can become contaminated and impact on your customers, business, income and reputation. Both items are produced outside and that can be difficult to maintain a clean environment.
Understanding how to safely handle honey and maple syrup ensures a quality product.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has created guidelines that allow the sale of honey and maple syrup to be produced, packaged and sold without a license — within specified guidelines. Given these exemptions, there are food safety precautions that should be followed. Personal hygiene, using food safe containers, proper storage and labeling, and clean and sanitary equipment all add to the safety of selling a quality product in Michigan.
MSU Extension has an educational program that can help you learn more about safely producing these foods. As a result of attending this program, you can expect to:
- Understand safe food handling practices.
- Recognize acceptable packaging and storage conditions.
- Describe the exemption guidelines and know the law.
Michigan State University recommends following good food safety practices when producing honey and maple syrup.
Understanding the MDARD exemptions is one step towards a successful business. Join this educational program created and presented by the MSU Extension Food Safety Team to learn about Michigan's exemptions for Selling MI Honey and Maple Syrup — Safely. Upcoming classes will be offered:
- December 18, 2024 at 2 p.m.
- February 10, 2025 at 6 p.m.
- March 11, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
You can register for the class at events.anr.msu.edu/HoneySyrup.
For more information, contact Kara Lynch at lynchka4@msu.edu or 989-330-0789 or Karen Fifield at fifield@msu.edu or 989-785-8016. Additional resources can be found on the Product Center’s website.
