Processing and selling bee products in New Zealand

If you process honey and bee products for sale in New Zealand, find out about the requirements under the Food Act 1981, labelling and limits on exporting.

Operating under the Food Act 1981

Bee products, including honey, that are produced for domestic consumption, may be produced under the requirements of the Food Act 1981. Whether you are a primary or secondary processor, the Food Act requires that you must either:

• operate under the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974, which are administered by your local council (Territorial Authority), or
• operate under a registered Food Safety Programme (FSP), which has been audited by an external expert.

Food Safety Programmes   
New Zealand Legislation: Food Hygiene Regulations 1974 (External website)

You must also meet the requirements of the:

• Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code which covers labelling and composition of food in New Zealand
• Food (Tutin in Honey) Standard 2010.

There is further information about labelling your bee products on this page and you can find out about requirements for meeting the Tutin in Honey Standard on the Managing tutin contamination page in the left-hand menu.

Note that:

• If you choose to operate under a food safety programme, you will be exempt from the requirements of the Food Hygiene Regulations.
• Donating or bartering honey is a form of trade and is also subject to regulation under the Food Act 1981.
• If you operate under the Food Act 1981, you do not need a Risk Management Programme (RMP).

Exporting and selling in New Zealand

If you sell or process honey and bee products in New Zealand and you also export them, then, depending on the countries you export to, you can operate under the Food Act or an RMP under the Animal Products Act. You can find out more on the page, Market access. Click Exporting bee products in the left hand menu.

Labelling your bee products

If you package honey or bee products, you need to comply with labelling requirements laid out in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. These include nutrition information and special warnings for bee products containing royal jelly.

Honey Labelling Requirements: Information Pamphlet 

You can find general information about labelling and composition in the General requirements section of the site.

Labelling & composition