Senate Agriculture committee hears House Bill 2158 on allowing small beekeepers to sell honey without commercial kitchen

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 2,158, legislation that would permit beekeepers who meet specified requirements to sell packaged honey and honeycomb without holding a food establishment or food processing plant license under the Kansas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Reviser Lawrence told the committee the bill would take effect July 1 and that the House had approved the measure on a vote of 85 to 34.

Under the bill language described to the committee, an exemption requires that the honey and comb be packaged on the beekeeper's property, labeled with the beekeeper's name and address, be unaltered (no added ingredients), derive from hives located in Kansas, and that the beekeeper maintain sales records showing amounts sold, container sizes, locations of sale and dates. The bill includes a $50,000 annual gross sales limit for the exemption; the reviser and several proponents said the bill also allows a beekeeper who meets other conditions but exceeds the sales limit to obtain a license without a commercial kitchen.

Proponents of the bill argued it removes an undue barrier for very small producers…