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Effective date: 1 March 2026
This page sets out Bee Market’s requirements for listing food products other than honey and honeycomb — for example royal jelly, bee pollen, and other edible bee-derived items. Honey and honeycomb have extra rules and are covered on the Honey policy page. This guidance is based on UK law and regulatory sources. It is intended to help you understand your obligations, but it is not legal advice.
Your responsibility. All sellers must ensure their food listings comply with UK law at all times. Bee Market provides this guidance to protect both customers and the platform, but Bee Market is not legally responsible for the content, packaging, labelling, or safety of food listed by sellers. If you are uncertain about your responsibilities, you should contact your local authority, Trading Standards, or seek advice from a qualified professional before listing.
In the UK, anyone selling food (including online from a home kitchen or stall) is a food business operator. You must register with your local authority at least 28 days before starting to trade. Registration is free and mandatory.
You must prepare, pack, store, and transport food in compliance with UK hygiene law, including Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (retained in UK law) and related national food hygiene regulations. Premises, equipment, and containers must be clean, well-maintained, and suitable for food use. Good record-keeping practices (e.g., batch logs) are strongly recommended.
Name of the food: Accurately describe the product (e.g., “Royal jelly (freeze-dried)”, “Bee pollen granules”).
Ingredients: List all ingredients in descending order by weight. If you add other items (e.g., honey, nuts), declare them and follow ingredient rules.
Allergens: Highlight any of the 14 regulated allergens. See FSA allergen guidance.
Durability date: State a “Best before” or “Use by” date as appropriate.
Net quantity: Display weight or volume in metric (e.g., 100 g).
Lot/Batch: Add a batch or lot code for traceability.
Business name & address: Provide a UK address where you can be contacted.
Storage/usage instructions: Include any necessary advice for safe use or storage.
You must not make medicinal claims such as “cures” or “treats disease”. Only nutrition or health claims permitted under UK law may be used, and they must be authorised wording used exactly as listed. Check the UK Nutrition & Health Claims guidance for the current rules. Misleading descriptions or unauthorised claims may result in listing removal or suspension.
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, buyers normally have a 14-day cancellation right for distance sales. However, this right does not apply to sealed goods not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons if unsealed after delivery. If you accept a return of opened food, you must never resell it.
Use clean, food-grade packaging. Products must be securely sealed to prevent leaks, contamination, or taint. Include storage advice on the label, and maintain records for batch traceability. Where posting with other items, package to avoid cross-contamination.
Important: Bee Market may remove non-compliant listings, suspend selling access, or take other enforcement action if these requirements are not met. Compliance with food law is the seller’s sole responsibility. Bee Market provides this policy for guidance and platform protection but does not assume liability for sellers’ products.
Key sources: GOV.UK: Food business registration · FSA: Packaging & labelling · FSA: Allergen guidance · GOV.UK: Labelling, durability & composition · Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (food hygiene) · GOV.UK: Nutrition & health claims · Consumer Contracts Regs 2013, reg. 28 (sealed goods) · For honey and honeycomb, see the Honey policy.