Honey labelling question

[CHCHPaul]

Preamble: so I’m putting together my honey labels and using the MPI information which is mostly straightforward, however;

Question: how do you know if your honey has a shelf life of two years or more?

Apparently A best before date is optional if your honey has a shelf life of two years or more…

 

[yesbut]

I betcha Trev is going to pop up shortly advising the use of a thingamabob to measure your honey's moisture content before jarring....

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

I betcha Trev is going to pop up shortly advising the use of a thingamabob to measure your honey's moisture content before jarring....

That part should already have been done at extraction time. And the measuring thingmabob is called a Refractometer
NP1 or 2 rules says that all food products are supposed to have a best before date.
Honey is recognised as not having an expiry date so the maximum time you can legally put on a label is 2 years.
Honey sort of falls thru the gaps with the health rules because of it's forever life span.

 

[tristan]

i thought it was 4 years?
the problem is not the honey, its the container that limits the shelf life.

moisture checking, as well as all other checks, should always be done at packing. its the final step in the process from hive to consumer, its up to you to make sure its fit for consumption.

there is no official requirement for extraction and most extractors have no means of fixing wet honey anyway.

 

[Hector Wong]

Plastic containers have expiry dates so the container will expire before the honey.

 

[Jacob]

Also remember that if you're relying on chemical parameters to meet authenticity or labelling requirements they they are likely to change with time. Diastase will decrease with time. HMF will increase with time. MGO will go up and then down again. DNA will decrease with time. All of this will happen in a jar.

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

Also remember that if you're relying on chemical parameters to meet authenticity or labelling requirements they they are likely to change with time. Diastase will decrease with time. HMF will increase with time. MGO will go up and then down again. DNA will decrease with time. All of this will happen in a jar.

Yes. And this is why as a hobbyist I can use the generic analysis on my honey labels. (as can all hobbyists)

 

[CHCHPaul]

That part should already have been done at extraction time. And the measuring thingmabob is called a Refractometer
NP1 or 2 rules says that all food products are supposed to have a best before date.
Honey is recognised as not having an expiry date so the maximum time you can legally put on a label is 2 years.
Honey sort of falls thru the gaps with the health rules because of it's forever life span.

Of course it is probably most straight forward to just put the Best Before date on the label, but I'm a bit frustrated by the contradictions in the documents...

The MPI honey labelling info seems to be contradicting the NP2 rule by saying (clearly) that the label only requires a best before date if it is less than two years. Actually it says that it is optional...! Also says "Not usually required for honey". But, on the check list it says that it "must have this". The same contradiction occurs with Storage instructions... "Not usually required for honey" and "must have this" check box... (where is the emoji for head explosion?)

I'm talking about non-export honey only.

NZ Government

www.mpi.govt.nz

 

[yesbut]

Which one is appropriate ?

 

[tristan]

we always had a best before date and the inspectors always looked for it.

 

[Dennis Crowley]

Just go to a shop look at what others have done and repeat

 

[CHCHPaul]

Just go to a shop look at what others have done and repeat

Really? That’s how you get through life 🤣 by copying everyone else!

I’m not about to write “Do not feed to babies under 1yr” just because some others do. It isn’t a requirement.

 

[Dennis Crowley]

Really? That’s how you get through life 🤣 by copying everyone else!

I’m not about to write “Do not feed to babies under 1yr” just because some others do. It isn’t a requirement.

Most learning in life is done by copying someone else.
Its only a question about what best before date to put on a label for gods sake

 

[CHCHPaul]

Most learning in life is done by copying someone else.
Its only a question about what best before date to put on a label for gods sake

No it’s not. It’s clearly about if it is necessary to put a best before date on at all. And the gods have nothing to do with it.

 

[James]

We use a best before date.
The honey is packed and sits in the warehouse. When it goes out to retail we put the Best B4 date on.
Sorted.

 

[tristan]

afaik best before date is from when its packed, not from when it goes on the shelf.
typically the packers do it.