Honey
Honey suppliers and sourcing guide
Honey is the sweet, viscous substance honey bees make from flower nectar or other plant secretions and store in comb. Beekeepers uncap the comb and spin the honey out by centrifuge, and packers then warm, strain or filter it and blend lots to a target color and moisture. Brands buy it in pails, drums or totes as liquid honey, as creamed (finely crystallized) honey, or as dried honey powder on a carrier for dry mixes.
- Category
- Sweeteners
- Also known as
- Extracted honey · Strained honey · Liquid honey
- Facts checked
- November 2026
Forms and grades of honey
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Liquid (extracted) honey
Strained or filtered honey sold in pails, drums or totes and specified by color class, moisture and, if declared, floral source.
Raw or lightly strained
Honey strained to remove wax and debris but not finely filtered or heated much, so it keeps more pollen and crystallizes sooner.
Varietal (named floral source)
Honey labeled with its chief floral source, such as clover, orange blossom or buckwheat; color and flavor differ widely between varietals.
Creamed honey
Honey seeded with fine crystals and held cool so it sets to a smooth, spreadable solid.
Dried honey powder
Honey dried with a carrier such as maltodextrin; the carrier share should be on the specification and the label.
What to check on the COA
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
- Moisture
- Moisture by refractometer (refractive index method); high moisture raises the risk of fermentation and is a common reason to reject a lot.
- Sugar profile (HPLC)
- Fructose, glucose and sucrose by HPLC, often with the fructose-to-glucose ratio; an unusual profile can point to added syrup.
- Authenticity
- C4 sugar by stable carbon isotope ratio analysis (AOAC 998.12) and, for higher-risk origins, NMR profiling to screen for added cane, corn or rice syrup.
- HMF and diastase
- Hydroxymethylfurfural by HPLC or spectrophotometry and diastase activity, which together reflect heat exposure and age.
- Residues and contaminants
- Veterinary drug residues (for example chloramphenicol and nitrofurans) by LC-MS/MS, plus pesticide residues and lead, against the buyer's specification.
- Color
- Color in mm Pfund or against USDA honey color standards, which assigns the color class from water white to dark amber.
Storage, lots and expiry
Storage and shelf life
Keep honey tightly closed in food-grade pails or drums at moderate room temperature, away from heat and strong odors, because it absorbs moisture and picks up smells. Cool storage speeds crystallization and warm storage darkens color and raises HMF, so reliquefy gently and evenly. Shelf life and retest intervals follow the packer's specification, usually checked by moisture, HMF and color.
Lots and expiry dates
Color, flavor, moisture and crystallization speed change with floral source, region and season, so record each lot's origin, color and moisture. Keep retained samples and authenticity results with the lot, since adulteration testing is often rerun when a question comes up.
Regulatory status
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
FDA's honey labeling guidance says a mix of honey and another sweetener should not be named only "honey," and gives "Blend of honey and corn syrup" as an example name when the product has more honey than corn syrup.
Source: fda.gov (opens in a new tab)The same guidance says the floral source of honey does not have to be declared, but honey may be named for a plant or blossom that is its chief floral source.
Source: fda.gov (opens in a new tab)FDA's 2019 added sugars guidance notes that the 2018 Farm Bill provides that the Nutrition Facts label of single-ingredient honey packaged and sold on its own need not bear the "Includes Xg Added Sugars" declaration.
Source: fda.gov (opens in a new tab)USDA's grade standards for extracted honey define U.S. Grades A, B and C by score, with Grade A requiring a minimum total score of 90 points.
Source: ams.usda.gov (opens in a new tab)
This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Honey suppliers
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
We are checking honey suppliers now
Every listing is checked against the supplier’s own website before it goes live, so this list fills in over the coming weeks. The specs and COA checklist above are ready today.
Sell honey? Request a listingFrequently asked questions
What forms of honey can brands buy?
Common forms include liquid (extracted) honey, raw or lightly strained, varietal (named floral source), creamed honey and dried honey powder. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
What should the COA for honey include?
Expect moisture, sugar profile (HPLC), authenticity, hMF and diastase, residues and contaminants and color, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
How should honey be stored?
Keep honey tightly closed in food-grade pails or drums at moderate room temperature, away from heat and strong odors, because it absorbs moisture and picks up smells. Cool storage speeds crystallization and warm storage darkens color and raises HMF, so reliquefy gently and evenly. Shelf life and retest intervals follow the packer's specification, usually checked by moisture, HMF and color.
What is the regulatory status of honey?
FDA's honey labeling guidance says a mix of honey and another sweetener should not be named only "honey," and gives "Blend of honey and corn syrup" as an example name when the product has more honey than corn syrup. The same guidance says the floral source of honey does not have to be declared, but honey may be named for a plant or blossom that is its chief floral source. FDA's 2019 added sugars guidance notes that the 2018 Farm Bill provides that the Nutrition Facts label of single-ingredient honey packaged and sold on its own need not bear the "Includes Xg Added Sugars" declaration. USDA's grade standards for extracted honey define U.S. Grades A, B and C by score, with Grade A requiring a minimum total score of 90 points.
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Sell ingredients to brands?
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