Boosting honey authenticity and traceability in the EU: Revised rules and expert group
On the day the European Union's revised honey labeling directive (EU 2024/1438) came into force, the European Commission announced the creation of a new expert group called the Honey Platform.
The Honey Platform will be tasked with leading the effort to ensure the highest standards of honey authenticity and traceability across the EU. Composed of up to 90 members, the group will include stakeholders from the honey supply chain, civil society, and academic experts.
The key objectives of the Honey Platform will be to:
• Gather data and develop harmonized methods to detect honey adulteration
• Provide recommendations on traceability systems to trace honey back to the producer
• Advise on composition criteria and the possible establishment of an EU reference laboratory
The call for applications to join the Honey Platform is open until July 15, 2024. The first meeting is expected to be held in November 2024, with the group set to convene at least twice per year. The Honey Platform is established for an initial duration of five years. In parallel to this work, the Commission, together with the Joint Research Centre, will work to establish validated analytical methods to detect honey adulteration with sugar.
The revised EU honey directive, which will be fully implemented by mid-2026, includes several new transparency requirements. Honey blends will now need to list the countries of origin in descending order, along with the percentage share of each component.
The directive also empowers the European Commission to establish harmonised analytical methods to detect honey adulteration with added sugars within the next 4 years. Methods to trace the geographical origin of honey will also be developed within 5 years.
This regulatory overhaul comes as the EU seeks to combat fraudulent practices in the honey market and restore consumer confidence. It aligns with broader efforts to support the EU's apiculture sector, which will receive €610 million in funding from 2023-2027 to combat diseases, adapt to climate change, and expand bee populations.
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