Proper classification of processed honey

[Bakersdozen]

As harvest season is about over, for most of us, we have been bottling, labeling and selling honey.  I have had numerous people ask me if my packaged honey is organic, raw, etc.  I don't have a name for how I process my honey.  Possibly "strained" would best describe it.  I tell everyone that I have strained out the wax (I don't mention the occasional bee parts) but not so fine as to strain out pollen, minerals and enzymes.  I also add that I don't heat the honey and it might crystalize.  A brief education on how big companies heat honey to prevent crystallization in grocery stores usually follows. 
My husband recently received an email, at one of his jobs, from a beekeeping coworker selling "Organic" honey.  He asked if we had organic honey.  A discussion followed on what organic honey is.  I think "organic" honey is no longer organic after it is removed from the hive.  It certainly would come from hives that haven't been treated with chemicals, one would assume.
I think "raw" might be honey that you find in the bottom of your extractor.  Because that honey hasn't been filtered yet, it contains wax, bee parts, propolis, etc.
So, I ask you, my fellow beekeepers, how do you label your honey and why?

[Jen]

Good Subject! I'm in the process of labeling now. There was another thread where we were discussing what words sound appropriate for sale. Raw, Local, Pure, unfiltered, organic. Some didn't prefer the word Raw. Maybe I can find that thread...

The three words that will go onto my label will be Pure Local Wildflower. Pure meaning that it hasn't been cut with cornsyrup, local for those that want to help their allergies, and what the forage is.

[iddee]

I use pure, natural, straight from the hive.

[Perry]

Up here, to be "organic" in the true sense of the word, you must start out with organic beeswax foundation (almost impossible to find) or I assume foundationless. You must then be located in an area where your bees will have no possible access to chemicals. This is next to impossible as far as I'm concerned, unless you live on a remote island or an area where there is virtually no one even around.
Strained and filtered seem the like the same thing to me, I use both terms. Unpasteurized is a biggy. Raw means straight out of the extractor, and after I let folks know exactly what that means, most opt for strained or filtered. 
Anyone selling varietal honey should be prepared to back up the claim if anyone with any knowledge asks the right questions. I never make any claims other than summer honey or fall honey, advising it that it most likely contains clover, or goldenrod, etc.

[Jen]

Nice explaination Perry,

Would it be considered Pure with one filter only?

Filtered Wildflower may go on my label

[brooksbeefarm]

I've seen a thread like this on another forum get out of hand. Myself i would never call honey organic, i put pure honey on my labels and if they ask if it's local i tell them i live 2 miles from where your standing, but have hives within a 60 mile radius and that i doubt they would find any thing different that the bees work that's not within that area, and that i only strain my honey once before we bottle it. Never had anyone disagree with me and they keep coming back and most of them tell me it's the best honey they ever ate. Be truthful with them and the honey will sell it's self. Jack

[Perry]

I would agree with Jack, but somehow just can't do it (principals ya know). He could be absolutely right and I might even know it, but I would still have a hard time agreeing with him.   
As for the word "pure", I have an odd take on it perhaps, but, to me, honey is honey! If anything is altered or added in any way, it no longer has the right to be labelled as honey!
If it isn't already "pure", then what is it?
As for Jack mentioning that a thread like this got out of hand elsewhere, I will preface this post by admiting right here and now that I just got in from a 2 beer evening at the local pub! 

[riverbee]

organic?
what perry said, your fibbing if it's not following usda guideline for organic in the states. and varietal the same.

pure, natural, local, whatever verbage you choose to use,  i don't bother saying it's filtered, to me if you don't filter whatsover, that's raw honey, bee  parts, wax bits, grass, frame silvers, etc.....

pure honey? yes it is jen, whether it's filtered or not. to any customer who is unfamiliar with buying honey from a beekeeper, i point to my hives and say came straight from there, go buy a jar in the supermarket and compare mine to that......it doesn't get any better, and there is no honey on the planet you can buy in a store to equal what work my bees have done and what nectar they have gathered from the plants, bushes and trees on my land or surrounding area. several times with upscale customers who are wearing attire for a drive in the country that looks to be around 900 bucks, driving a rather expensive vehicle that is equal to the mortgage on my house and balk at my meager honey price.....i pull out an empty jar, point to the hives and tell them to go get it.........

how do i label? rush river gold wildflower honey. i keep it simple. like jack said it sell's itself.  i think folks get confused with all the descriptions and marketing words.  just say what it is HONEY. from a beekeeper.  why do i say that?  because only we know, understand, comprehend and appreciate how hard we work to extract, filter, and sometimes heat honey to bottle it. how hard our bees and we work. no one else will ever appreciate this except another beekeeper. if folks ask, i most certainly answer their questions, but i have also answered questions and been grilled from folks looking to buy 'raw honey', not wanting to buy what they are purchasing in the grocery store and been confused about some of the 'verbage'. 

and ps, i do like the description of local, pure, natural.....

[Jen]

Mkay, that sounds good from all of you. My temporary label for this year 'HONEY - pure wildflower', and then my logo

Pure to me says that it has not been cut with cornsyrup, that is the most important aspect in my bee world.

Good thread!

[riverbee]

it is a great thread jen!

and labeling your honey as "pure wildflower honey" with your logo, is awesome! that's what it is!

[brooksbeefarm]

It's the word Organic that causes the debate, it means different things to different people. Jack

[Bakersdozen]

Here's my label I purchased from Brushy Mountain.  So, apparently Brushy thinks the average beekeepers' honey is pure and natural. (Which it is!)  I like Perry's idea of spring honey or fall honey, but it means purchasing or making two different labels.   One could put a sticker on that reads Fall Honey or Spring Honey in addition to the label, I guess.

riverbee:  I agree with your description of raw honey.  That is honey that has not been filtered.

Jack: You are so right about the misuse of the word Organic.

If we have to think so long and hard about this...think how confused a noneducated customer is!

If I gaze into my crystal ball, I see a day when the USDA may want us to grade our honey.

[riverbee]

"If we have to think so long and hard about this...think how confused a noneducated customer is! "

 , that's what i was trying to say earlier about it, i think customers  do get confused!

ps bakers, nice looking jar of pure and natural HONEY!!!!......

[Jen]

I just love this label Baker! Simple sharp and clean.

A thought, if you wanted to specify summer or fall honey, you could put a nice string of your choice around the neck of the bottle with a small tab saying summer or fall.

Or maybe a small white price sticker on the bottom of the jar with written summer or fall, or even do it in your word program.

But frankly, I really like the jar the way it is.

[kebee]

 Had no label at all on my honey and sole the last of 123 bottles of it today. Surprise that I sold most of it in the last two weeks.

Ken

[Bakersdozen]

Had no label at all on my honey and sole the last of 123 bottles of it today. Surprise that I sold most of it in the last two weeks.

Ken

Wow! Ken.  I guess that's a good thing? Congratulations!
I hold honey back to give away at Christmas time.  That was the whole idea when I began beekeeping.  It would be a special gift for my husband to give to coworkers at Christmas.  I bottled and sealed all those yesterday into Muth jars.  A tag and some ribbon, and I am ready for less Christmas hub bub.  My immediate neighbors look forward to a jar of honey at Christmas too.

[Yankee11]

I filter mine and label it as RAW.

I know I have read several places that RAW means unheated/pasteurized. Once heated it can't be labeled RAW but can still be labeled Pure or Natural.
I label Raw Wildflower

Organic- forget about that, whole different ball game.

[brooksbeefarm]

On that other forum i was talking about, the difference between strained and filtered got out of hand also. I don't like all that i'm right and your wrong stuff, it was entertaining and i picked up some things i never thought about. Jack

[Jen]

This is the second thread on how to classify honey, and I think I still like the word Raw. It tells me that there is no corn syrup cut into it, and the honey was either flung or dripped out of the comb. With one filter I still call it Raw.

Yah! That's what I'm putting on my label... Raw Wildflower 

[riverbee]

raw......
it's just my two cents, i think of 'raw' honey is what comes out of your extractor or crush and strain without filtering/heating it whatsoever........
perhaps apis can give his expertise on this, and also you might want to check with your states labeling requirements.

with that said, some info from the national honey board:

National Honey Board FAQ Raw or Processed? Raw Honey

"While there is no official U.S. federal definition of “raw” honey, it generally means honey that has not been heated or filtered."

"What is raw honey?
While there is no official U.S. federal definition of raw honey, the National Honey Board defines raw honey as “ honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.”    This definition does not have any legal authority, but is provided  to help in the understanding of honey and honey terms.  The complete honey definitions document created by the National Honey Board is available here. The Definition of Honey"

Definition of Honey and Honey Products

"Raw Honey:Honey as it exists in the beehiveor as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.
8a. Commercially Raw Honey:Honey as obtained by minimum processing. This product is often labeled as raw honey.

organic must meet usda standards for organic labeled honey (from the same pdf file and my research for my own state, and federal guidelines, simple but true, if anyone wants i can post the federal guidlines you must meet to label your honey as 'organic'  ps give it up!..... )......

"Organic Honey:Honey produced, processed, and packaged in accordance with State and Federal regulations on honey and organic products, and certified by a State Department of Agriculture or an independent organic farming certification organization."