7 CFR §1434.5

1. (a)Have been produced by an eligible producer;
2. (b)Have been produced in the United States during the calendar year for which a loan is requested and extracted on or before December 31 of such calendar year;
3. (c)Be of merchantable quality deemed by CCC to be suitable for loan; that is, the honey:
   1. (1)Is not adulterated;
   2. (2)Has not been scorched, burned, or subjected to excessive heat resulting in objectionable flavor, color deterioration or carmelization;
   3. (3)Does not contain any ineligible honey floral sources; such as andromeda, bitterweed, broomweed, cajeput (melaleuca), carrot, chinquapin, dog fennel, desert hollyhock, gumweed, mescal, onion, prickly pear, prune, queen's delight, rabbit brush, snowbrush (ceanothus), snow-on-the-mountain, spurge (leafy spurge), tarweed, and similar objectionably-flavored honey or blends of honey as determined by the Director, Price Support Division, FSA. If any blends of honey contain such ineligible honey, the lot as a whole will be considered ineligible for loan;
   4. (4)Does not contain excessive bees or bee parts, paint chips, wood chips, or other foreign matter; and
   5. (5)Is not fermenting; and
4. (d)Be stored in acceptable containers.