How to choose honey in the US: labels, origin, grades, raw and organic, and fair prices

To choose honey in the US, start with three things on the jar: where the honey comes from (a named state, county or country beats a vague “packed by” address), what it is called (plain “honey” or a floral name such as clover, orange blossom or sourwood, never a “blend” with syrup), and the price per pound compared with what honey actually sells for. Then choose by taste and region, and if you can, buy from a local beekeeper who can tell you where the hives stand. Ignore kitchen “purity tests”, which do not work, and remember that “raw” has no federal definition and “Grade A” is voluntary. This guide explains what FDA requires, how state laws differ, what federal testing of imported and domestic honey found, the varietal honeys of each US region and what a fair price looks like in 2026.

How to choose honey: the short version

What to check	Good sign	Warning sign
1. Origin	a named state or county, or a named country for imports	only a distributor’s address, no origin anywhere
2. Name	“Honey” or a floral name that fits the color and price	“honey blend”, “honey product”, syrup in the ingredients
3. Producer	beekeeper’s or packer’s name and full address	no address, seller unsure where the hives are
4. Price per lb	consistent with the variety and region	a premium varietal priced like bulk honey
5. Grade and seals	a USDA grade, if shown, backed by a real standard; USDA Organic seal	invented “certified pure” badges
6. Claims	plain description	health promises, “miracle” or “detox” wording

Two habits do most of the work: a specific origin is worth more than a vague one, and a price far below the market for that kind of honey rarely has an honest explanation.

What does a US honey label have to say?

FDA’s rules for honey

FDA treats honey as a food and set out its expectations in its 2018 guidance, Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products. The guidance describes honey as a thick, sweet, syrupy substance that bees make as food from the nectar of plants or secretions of living parts of plants. The key points for shoppers:

• A jar that contains only honey is labeled “honey”. No ingredient list is needed.
• A floral name is optional. If the label names a plant, such as “Clover Honey”, the packer must have information supporting that this plant is the chief floral source, and the claim must be truthful and not misleading.
• Honey mixed with another sweetener cannot be called honey. It must be named for what it is, for example “Blend of honey and corn syrup” (if there is more honey than syrup), with an ingredient statement. FDA says honey mixed with sugar or corn syrup and labeled only “honey” may be treated as adulterated and misbranded.
• Flavored honey must say so. A product with a characterizing flavor is named accordingly, for example “raspberry-flavored honey”, and lists its ingredients, such as “honey, natural flavor”.

FDA also notes a long-standing import alert for surveillance of honey adulterated with cane or corn sugars.

Other required label elements

Like any packaged food, a jar of honey sold at retail needs a statement of identity, the net quantity in both US customary and metric units (for example “Net Wt 16 oz (1 lb) 454 g”) and the name and address of the producer, packer or distributor. Many small beekeepers do not need a Nutrition Facts panel: FDA exempts retailers with annual gross sales of no more than $500,000, or food sales to consumers of no more than $50,000, and a separate low-volume exemption covers small firms that file an annual notice. That exemption is lost if the label makes a nutrition claim.

No federal standard of identity

The US has no federal standard of identity for honey, unlike many foods such as jams or ketchup. An industry petition for one was filed in 2006; FDA denied it in 2011, concluding that no standard of identity was needed, and kept that position in later guidance. As a result, much of the detailed definition of honey has been left to the states.

State honey laws: why your state matters

Several states have adopted their own definitions or standards of identity for honey, and no two are identical. A few examples:

• Florida adopted a standard of identity in 2009 (Florida Administrative Code rule 5K-4.027). It defines honey as the natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honeybees, forbids any food additive or any addition other than honey, bans adding water during extraction or packing and bars chemical or biochemical treatments to influence crystallization. A floral name is allowed only if the honey comes predominantly from that source and has matching properties.
• Wisconsin defines honey in its agriculture code and, under rule ATCP 87.015, forbids selling a product as honey unless it meets the international Codex Alimentarius honey standard. It also runs a separate “Wisconsin certified honey” designation.
• California requires containers of imported honey to name the foreign country or territory of origin, and extracted honey containers to be marked with a US grade. The California Department of Food and Agriculture and county agricultural commissioners enforce these rules. A 2021 bill, AB 519, sponsored by the California State Beekeepers Association, sought to make the origin statement as conspicuous as the grade statement, in response to complaints that origin was stamped on lids or bottoms where shoppers struggle to find it. The bill was held in committee and never became law, so the older rule still applies.
• Texas passed H.B. 519 in 2025 (in effect since September 1, 2025). Beekeepers selling pure, raw, unblended honey they produce count as “honey production operations” rather than food service establishments, the former 2,500 lb annual cap is gone, and their labels now fall under the Texas Agriculture Code.

Do not assume your state works like any of these. Your state department of agriculture can tell you which honey definition and labeling rules apply where you live. If you keep bees yourself, our page on beekeeping laws by state links to each state’s apiary program.

Where does the honey come from? Imports and origin

American honey and imports

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported US honey production of 116 million lb (about 52,600 metric tons) in 2025, from 2.41 million colonies, an average of 48.0 lb (21.8 kg) per colony and 14% less than in 2024. Americans eat far more honey than that, so a large share of the honey sold in supermarkets, food service and processed foods is imported.

Imports are a long-running sore point for US beekeepers. In May 2022 the US International Trade Commission voted that the domestic industry was materially injured by imports of raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India and Vietnam sold at less than fair value, which led to antidumping duty orders on those imports. Low-priced imports, adulterated or not, set the floor for what packers pay American producers.

Reading the origin

• Imported honey must be marked with its country of origin under federal customs rules. California’s committee analysis notes that federal law also requires the origin statement to be close to, and comparable in size with, any grade statement.
• Blends of several countries often list them, sometimes as “Product of Argentina, Brazil and USA”. There is no federal rule requiring percentages.
• Domestic honey does not need a “Product of USA” line, but a beekeeper’s jar usually names a state, county or town, and that is worth looking for.
• “Packed in” is not “produced in”. A US company address tells you who is responsible for the jar, not where the bees were. Read the small print on the back, the lid and the base.

Is store-bought honey fake? What FDA testing found

FDA’s sampling programs

FDA has run several sampling assignments for economically motivated adulteration of honey, using stable carbon isotope ratio analysis, which compares the isotopic signature of the honey with that of its own protein to detect added sweeteners such as cane and corn syrups. The results, as summarized by FDA in April 2026:

Assignment	Samples	Found adulterated
FY21-22	144 imported	10%
FY22-23	107 imported	3%
FY25	48 imported and 54 domestic	about 4% of each (2 of 48, 2 of 54)

FDA says its experts took natural variation in honey composition and the test’s margin of error into account before judging a sample adulterated. Violative imports were placed on import alert, and FDA is working with domestic firms on recalls and corrective actions. Note that the FY25 round found adulterated domestic honey too: “made in the USA” is not an automatic guarantee.

The European comparison

The best-known large survey is European. Between November 2021 and February 2022, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre tested 320 consignments of honey imported into the EU from 20 countries and found 46% of them suspicious of adulteration. The JRC stressed that no single test is enough and followed up with traceability checks. Methods and sampling differ from FDA’s, so the figures are not directly comparable, but both programs point to the same weak point: cheap bulk honey traded through long supply chains.

Kitchen tests do not work

Dissolving honey in water, lighting it on a match, watching it pour or smearing it on your thumb tells you about water content and temperature, not about purity. Modern adulterants are syrups made from rice, corn, cane or beet that are designed to pass such tests; FDA needs a laboratory isotope analysis to catch them. A traceable origin and a supplier you can identify are better protection than any trick.

What do USDA grades and honey colors mean?

Grade A, B and C

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service publishes voluntary standards for grades of extracted honey. To be Grade A or Grade B, honey needs at least 81.4% soluble solids, which means no more than 18.6% moisture; Grade C allows 20.0%. The grades also score flavor and aroma, absence of defects such as wax and bee parts, and clarity. Grading is optional in most states: a jar without a grade is not inferior. But a label that says “Grade A” must be truthful, so the honey has to meet the standard.

Color is not quality

The same USDA standard classifies color on the Pfund scale, from Water White (8 mm or less) through Extra White, White, Extra Light Amber, Light Amber and Amber to Dark Amber (over 114 mm), and states that color is not a factor in grade. Color follows the flower: fireweed, sage and orange blossom honeys are pale, buckwheat is almost black. Dark honeys are generally stronger in flavor, pale ones milder. Pick by use: a mild, light honey for tea and baking, a dark one for barbecue glazes, cheese or eating from the spoon.

Raw, pure, unfiltered, organic: what the words on the jar mean

Raw

“Raw” has no federal definition. FDA’s honey guidance does not mention it, and University of Florida extension tells beekeepers it has no official standard and should be used only if it matches what buyers expect. In practice, honey sold as raw has usually been strained through a coarse mesh rather than pressure-filtered, and warmed little or not at all, so it keeps more pollen and crystallizes sooner. Ask the seller what they do.

Pure and natural

Every honey sold as “honey” must already be pure honey, so “pure” adds nothing legally. UF/IFAS advises beekeepers against putting “pure” in front of a floral source, because a single-flower honey is rarely 100% one plant. “Natural” has no specific meaning for honey either.

Unfiltered

Straining removes wax and bee parts; fine filtration under pressure, used by large packers to keep honey clear on the shelf, also removes most of the pollen. Pollen is what laboratories use to check floral and geographic origin, so an unfiltered or lightly strained honey keeps more of its fingerprint.

Comb and chunk honey

If you want honey that has obviously never been through a packing plant, buy it in the comb. Cut comb honey is a square of capped comb sold in a clear box; chunk honey is a piece of comb packed in a jar of liquid honey. Both need full, evenly capped frames and a strong flow, so they are made in good clover, basswood or sourwood years and cost more per pound than extracted honey. Comb honey cannot be blended with syrup after the fact, which is one reason some buyers prefer it, although it says nothing about what the bees were fed. Look for clean, white or pale cappings, no weeping cells and no signs of wax moth. Eat the wax or leave it: beeswax is harmless but indigestible. Like any honey, comb should carry the product name, the net weight in both units and the producer’s name and address.

USDA Organic

The USDA Organic seal on honey means a third-party certifier approved by USDA certified the operation. But the National Organic Program has no apiculture-specific rules. Penn State researchers explain that organic beekeeping is certified under the same livestock standards used for beef and poultry, and that the National Organic Standards Board’s 2010 apiculture recommendation, which proposed a 1.8-mile (about 2.9 km) forage zone, has never been written into the regulations. They add that most organic honey in grocery stores is imported, from countries such as Brazil and Canada, and that the only domestic organic honey on the market comes from Hawaii. The seal tells you about certification, not origin, so read the origin line too.

Clover, orange blossom, tupelo: choosing honey by region and taste

The US produces a wider range of varietal honeys than almost any other country, because its regions bloom at different times and on different crops. What you find depends on where you shop.

Honey	Main region	What to expect
Clover	Upper Midwest and Northern Plains	light, mild, the classic American table honey; crystallizes fairly fast
Alfalfa	Western states with irrigated hay	white to extra light amber, mild
Orange blossom	Florida and California	light, floral, citrus aroma
Sage	Southern California	water white to light, delicate, slow to crystallize
Tupelo	Florida and Georgia, mainly the Apalachicola River basin	light amber with a green cast, buttery, very slow to crystallize
Sourwood	Southern Appalachians (North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee)	light amber, spicy and caramel-like
Buckwheat	New York and the Northeast	very dark, malty, molasses-like
Wildflower	everywhere	varies by place and season

Tupelo and sourwood: scarce and expensive

Two Southern honeys deserve a note. White tupelo blooms for only a few weeks, from late April through May, in the swamps of northwest Florida and southeast Georgia, and Bee Culture explains that its high fructose-to-glucose ratio is why genuine tupelo honey stays liquid for so long. Sourwood blooms from June to August in the mountains, and NC State Extension relays the old saying that an excellent sourwood crop comes only about once a decade. Both command high prices, and both are tempting targets for mislabeling. Buy them from producers who name the place and the year, and expect to pay more.

Wildflower is not second best

Most local honey is sold as “wildflower” or simply “honey” because bees forage many plants at once. A good wildflower honey from your county is often the most interesting jar at the market. Our guide to plants for bees explains which flowers produce the major flows, and harvesting honey shows how beekeepers time their harvests to separate them.

Manuka

Manuka honey from New Zealand is the most expensive honey on US shelves. New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries finalized a scientific definition in December 2017, combining five attributes (four chemicals from the nectar and one DNA marker from manuka pollen), to tell monofloral from multifloral manuka. It applies to honey exported as manuka, which must be tested by an MPI-recognized laboratory. The numbers on the jar are industry grades: MGO states the methylglyoxal content, while UMF is a trade association’s grading scheme. A higher grade raises the price far more than it changes the taste.

What should good honey cost in 2026?

Producer and wholesale prices

USDA’s NASS reported an average price of $3.05 per lb for the 2025 US crop, covering all sales by producers with five or more colonies. Bee Culture’s regional price report, collected from reporters across the country in June and July 2025, put bulk honey sold in 55-gallon drums to packers at an average of $3.08 per lb for light honey and $2.95 per lb for amber.

Retail prices

The same Bee Culture report gives average shelf prices:

Container (June to July 2025)	US average	Range reported
12 oz (340 g) plastic bottle	$9.16	$3.74 to $15.00
1 lb (454 g) jar	$11.80	$1.00 to $23.00
2 lb (907 g) jar	$20.39	$12.00 to $40.00

Regional averages for a 1 lb jar ran from $10.00 to $19.00. Local farmers’ market honey usually sits in that range; tupelo, sourwood and comb honey sell for more. Beekeepers can run these prices against their own crop with our honey yield and price calculator.

How to reason about price

• A premium varietal at a bulk price. If “tupelo” or “sourwood” costs about the same per pound as supermarket clover blend, ask where it came from.
• Store brands. Cheap supermarket honey is usually a blend of domestic and imported honey bought near world bulk prices. It is legal and generally safe, but it tells you little about origin.
• Local honey. A small beekeeper’s costs per pound are much higher than a commercial operator’s, which is why a jar from a backyard apiary costs more than one from a packer.

A high price does not prove authenticity, but a very low one for a honey that claims a rare floral source is the clearest warning sign you have.

Buying from a local beekeeper: questions worth asking

Buying directly is the easiest way to know what you are getting. Whether a beekeeper needs a permit or an inspected kitchen depends on the state. In Florida, for example, UF/IFAS explains that honey bottled in a home kitchen under the cottage food law, with annual sales up to $250,000, must carry the statement “Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.” Seeing that line on a Florida jar is a sign the producer knows the rules, not a warning.

Questions a genuine beekeeper will be happy to answer:

1. Where are your hives? A precise answer, such as a farm, a county or a river valley, is the best sign.
2. When was it harvested? Spring and fall honeys from the same yard taste different.
3. What were the bees working? Clover, tulip poplar, sourwood, orange, or a mix.
4. Do you move your bees? Many US beekeepers rent colonies for pollination, for example in California’s almond orchards. That is normal, but it means “local honey” may have been made somewhere else.
5. Is it strained or filtered, and do you heat it? Most small producers simply strain.
6. Is it comb, chunk or extracted? Comb and chunk honey cost more and show the honey as the bees stored it.

Farmers’ markets, county fairs (where honey is judged), local beekeeping clubs and your state beekeepers association are good places to find producers.

Liquid, creamed or crystallized: should you worry?

Crystallization is normal

Almost all honey crystallizes eventually. The speed depends mostly on the honey’s glucose content and temperature. Clover, alfalfa, canola and goldenrod honeys set fairly quickly; tupelo and sage stay liquid for a long time. Crystallized honey is not spoiled, sugared or fake. Creamed honey, sometimes called whipped or spun honey, is simply honey crystallized under control into very fine crystals so it spreads like butter. Our page on crystallized honey explains the chemistry and how to make creamed honey at home.

To liquefy honey, set the jar in a pan of warm water, around 100°F to 110°F (38°C to 43°C), and stir. Avoid the microwave and boiling water: heat darkens honey, drives off aroma and breaks down enzymes.

Storing honey

• Keep the lid tight. Honey absorbs moisture from humid air, and wet honey can ferment, a real risk in a Southern summer kitchen.
• Store it at room temperature, away from the stove. The refrigerator speeds crystallization.
• Use a clean, dry spoon; crumbs and water bring yeasts.
• Honey keeps for years. A best-by date reflects quality, not safety.

For what the evidence does and does not support about honey and health, including local honey and seasonal allergies, see our page on the health benefits of honey.

A precaution for infants

The CDC says not to give honey to children younger than 12 months, because it can cause infant botulism, a serious illness. That applies to every honey, raw, local, organic or supermarket, and to honey added to food, water, formula or a pacifier. UF/IFAS recommends that beekeepers print “Do not feed to infants less than one year old” on their labels, and many conscientious producers do.

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell if honey is real?

Not at home. The water, flame and thumb tests cannot detect the cane, corn or rice syrups used in adulteration; FDA itself relies on stable carbon isotope analysis in a laboratory. Your best tools are a named country or state of origin, a producer you can identify, a price that matches the market and, ideally, a local beekeeper who can tell you where the hives are.

What does raw honey mean?

There is no federal definition. FDA's honey labeling guidance does not mention the word, and University of Florida extension advises beekeepers to use it only if it matches what buyers expect, since it has no official standard. In practice, raw usually means the honey was strained rather than finely filtered and was not heated much. Ask the seller what they actually do.

Is Grade A honey better?

Grade A means the honey meets the USDA's voluntary grade standard, including at least 81.4% soluble solids (a maximum of 18.6% moisture), good flavor and clarity and very few defects. Grading is optional, so ungraded honey is not inferior. Color is classified separately on the Pfund scale, and the USDA standard states that color is not a factor in grade.

Does honey have to say where it comes from?

Imported honey must be marked with its country of origin under federal customs rules, and California law requires imported honey containers to name the foreign country. There is no federal requirement for entirely domestic honey to say 'Product of USA', but local beekeepers usually name their state or county, which is worth looking for.

How much should local honey cost?

Bee Culture's reporters put the average retail price of a 1 lb (454 g) jar at $11.80 in June and July 2025, with regional averages from $10.00 to $19.00. USDA reported an average producer price of $3.05 per lb for the 2025 crop. A honey sold well below wholesale prices for a premium varietal deserves a question about its origin.

Is crystallized honey bad?

No. Crystallization is natural and depends mostly on the honey's glucose content and storage temperature. Clover, alfalfa and canola honeys set fairly fast, while tupelo, rich in fructose, stays liquid for a long time. Crystallized honey is safe to eat. To liquefy it, warm the jar gently in a water bath and avoid the microwave, which can overheat the honey.

Is organic honey really organic in the US?

It is certified, but under general livestock rules. Penn State researchers note that the USDA has never adopted the 2010 organic apiculture recommendations into its regulations, so there are no bee-specific organic standards. Most organic honey in stores is imported from countries such as Brazil and Canada, and the only domestic organic honey they identify on the market comes from Hawaii. Check the origin as well as the seal.

Can babies have honey?

No. The CDC says not to give honey to children younger than 12 months, because it can cause infant botulism. That includes raw and local honey and honey added to food, formula, water or a pacifier. University of Florida extension recommends that beekeepers print 'Do not feed to infants less than one year old' on their labels, and many do.

Sources

1. Guidance for Industry: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products (February 2018), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2. FDA releases FY25 sampling results on economically motivated adulteration in honey (April 13, 2026), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
3. Small Business Nutrition Labeling Exemption, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
4. United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
5. Honey: released March 13, 2026 (2025 production), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
6. Raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India, and Vietnam injures U.S. industry, says USITC (May 11, 2022), U.S. International Trade Commission
7. Fla. Admin. Code R. 5K-4.027: Standard of identity, honey, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
8. AB 519 (Irwin), honey: country of origin labeling, committee analysis (April 29, 2021), California State Assembly Committee on Agriculture
9. Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 87, subchapter I: honey (ATCP 87.015 honey standard), Wisconsin State Legislature
10. 2021 legislative summary, Assembly Committee on Agriculture (status of AB 519), California State Assembly Committee on Agriculture
11. Who would benefit from a federal standard of identity for honey? (August 2014), FDA Law Blog, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara
12. H.B. 519 (89th Legislature), enrolled text: honey production operations, Texas Legislature
13. Bottling, Labeling, and Selling Honey in Florida (ENY-159/IN918), UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida
14. Current challenges for the production of certified organic honey bee products (January 2024), American Bee Journal (Bruckner, Underwood and López-Uribe, Penn State)
15. September 2025 Regional Honey Price Report, Bee Culture
16. Food fraud: how genuine is your honey? (results of the From the hives action, 2023), European Commission, Joint Research Centre
17. Sourwood: a honey of a tree, NC State Extension, Lee County Center
18. What is tupelo honey and why is it so special?, Bee Culture
19. Ensuring mānuka honey is authentic (mānuka honey testing and science definition), Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand
20. Foods and drinks to avoid or limit (infant and toddler nutrition), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention