Irish Honey Labelling Requirements
Irish Honey Labelling Requirements
A practical guide to the information generally required on jars of honey offered for sale in Ireland.
What must appear on the label?
Name of the food
HONEY
The label must clearly identify the product as honey. A more specific recognised description may be used where it accurately reflects the product, such as comb honey, chunk honey or baker’s honey.
Name and postal address
John Smith, Bantry, Co. Cork
Include the name or business name and a sufficiently detailed postal address for the beekeeper, producer, packer or food business responsible for selling the honey.
A phone number, email address or social media account does not replace the postal address.
Net weight
340g
State the net quantity in grams or kilograms. The name of the food and the net quantity must appear within the same field of vision.
Best-before information
Best before: 30/09/2028
Use Best before with a complete date. If only a month and year are shown, use Best before end, for example “Best before end: 09/2028”.
The beekeeper or packer is responsible for determining a suitable shelf life. If the date is added elsewhere, the label may say “Best before: See lid”.
Lot or batch number
LOT L112
A lot reference allows the honey to be traced and should be clearly identifiable. A separate lot number may not be necessary where the best-before date includes an uncoded indication of at least the day and month, but using one is recommended for clear traceability.
Country of origin
Origin: Ireland
The country where the honey was harvested must be stated. Honey harvested entirely in Ireland does not need an origin percentage.
Since 14 June 2026, multi-country blends must identify the countries in descending order by weight and include the applicable percentage contributions.
Other important points
- Mandatory information must be clear, legible, visible and sufficiently permanent.
- The label must not mislead customers about the honey’s nature, composition, floral source or geographical origin.
- A floral description should only be used where the honey comes wholly or mainly from that source and has the characteristics associated with it.
- A regional or local origin should only be used where the honey genuinely comes from the named place.
- Food labels must not make unauthorised medicinal, health or nutrition claims.
Ingredients and nutrition information
Pure honey is a single-ingredient food. An ingredients list is not normally required where the product is clearly identified as honey.
Honey is also generally exempt from the requirement to carry a nutrition declaration as an unprocessed product consisting of a single ingredient. Any voluntarily supplied nutrition information or claims must comply with the relevant legislation.
Ordering personalised labels
- Enter the requested information carefully. Required fields reflect information generally required under Irish and EU food-labelling legislation.
- We will prepare a sample and send it to you by text or email before printing.
- Check every word, date, weight and detail carefully. Your labels will only go to print after you approve the sample.
Text size and positioning may be adjusted to suit the amount of information supplied and the selected label design.
Official guidance
This page is a practical summary, not a substitute for legislation or guidance from the relevant authorities. Official legal requirements take precedence.