North American Packers

You can be a True Source Certified North American Packer if you are a company in North America that is involved in blending, processing, and repackaging raw honey in preparation for the retail, wholesale, or bulk ingredient market.

 Follow the instructions below to participate:

  1. Maintain a system of traceability. Clearly identify all shipments of honey that arrive to or are shipped from the plant. Maintain the identity of individual lots of raw honey from specific suppliers as honey is processed to create product for the retail, wholesale, or bulk ingredient market.
    1. Purchases from North American Beekeepers:
      1. Clearly identify all shipments of honey that arrive from Beekeepers.
      2. Ensure that the Trucking Bill of Lading includes the name and address of both the Beekeeper and the Packer.
      3. Ensure that all Beekeepers are compliant with FDA requirements, including facility registration. 
  2. Purchase from approved countries.
  3. Maintain required documentation for every shipment of raw honey imported from outside of North America. All documents must identify loads using the True Source ID Number for high and medium risk countries as well as for all fully compliant loads (minimally compliant loads do not require the use of the True Source ID Number).Click on a document title below to see an example:
    1. Ocean Bill of Lading: Shipper must be the processor/exporter, Importer must be Consignee or Notify party, Consignee or Notify Party must be the same as the seller to the Packer, True Source ID Number, Exporter Lot # etc.
    2. Lab report: of Pollen-geographical origin of honey (shipments from India and Vietnam only).
    3. Country specific documents:
      1. India: Export Inspection Consul Certificate for inspection
      2. Vietnam: Certificate of origin form B
    4. Truck Bill of Lading: Must indicate container number, True Source Honey ID Number, Exporter lot number.
    5. Delivery Order: If the container is delivered directly to the Packer, Importer must supply the delivery order showing the following information: container number, both seal numbers: container seal and audit firm seal (as applicable), True Source Honey ID Number, Exporter’s lot number.
    6. Warehouse inbound receipt: If the load is picked up by the Packer or delivery arranged by the seller to the Packer the following information must appear on the warehouse receipt: Container number, container and audit firm seal number (as applicable), True Source Honey ID Number, Exporter’s lot number.
  4. Successfully complete an audit by third-party audit firm.
    1. Facility Audit: Verification of traceability system and documentation requirements for purchased loads. Mass balance of pounds purchased against pounds sold.
    2. Sample Collection: The audit firm will collect random samples of honey inventory to compare against stated origin (pollen).
    3. Suppliers (beekeepers) will be selected at random to participate in phone and field audits to confirm stated volumes of trade.
  5. Understand the Phased Implementation of Requirements. In order to allow time for Packers and Importers to prepare their suppliers for the requirements of True Source certification, a phase-in period has been established that applies to the percentage of loads purchased by the Packer.
  6. When you are ready to become a True Source Certified Packer, complete the Packer registration form and email it to Danielle Chester at [email protected].

  7. Submit the Packer registration fee to True Source Honey. Upon completion of the third-party audit (by NSF or Intertek) and certification process, True Source Honey requires an annual fee based on the total pounds processed/handled per year. The current fees are below: