Local beekeepers who sell their products in Guam's retail stores are in violation of local health permitting requirements. So, a bill by Sen. Clynt Ridgell would exempt them from sanitary permit mandates.

Members of the Guam Beekeepers Association said that in most places small-quantity beekeepers are exempted because of the very low risk in the bottling of honey. Local honey producer Paul Packbier says honey itself is a disinfectant.

"Again minimal risk, I think honey is a perfect food, it has no shelf life basically," he said. "When it's bottled it stays good forever. You don't have to refrigerate it, you don't have to treat it, because it's anti-bacterial, anti-viral, nothing grows in it. And it's a very safe food and it tastes great."

But Chief Environmental Health Officer Tom Nadeau says they do have concerns about the processing of the honey, and he believes they need to establish the basic rules and regulations. He admits that until recently he was not even aware that local beekeepers were selling their products here.

"We were surprised, and I think that's another reason why we need to have regulatory oversight and allow us to create regulations specific to honey," he said. "And I believe we can make it happen you know work with Paul and everybody else on this call and the association."

Packbier and the local beekeeper association said they're not opposed to the regulation of the industry.