The question of honey's origin has risen high on the EU's agenda.
The new regulations mean that the labeling of honey blends will become significantly clearer.
Countries of origin must be stated on the label, and the main rule also implies that each country's proportion of the blend must be declared.
For consumers, this means significantly more information than formulations previously limited to, for example, “blend of EU and non-EU honey”.
But the EU's work does not stop at the label.
As part of the work surrounding the EU Honey Platform, discussions and investigations are also taking place on how traceability within the honey sector can be improved.
A central issue is the ability to track honey through the supply chain from producer or importer to the product that ultimately reaches the consumer.
This is a much larger change than just new labels.
Origin labeling tells you what someone claims the jar contains.
Traceability is about the ability to follow how the product has actually moved through the chain.
If such systems are further developed, it could create new opportunities to combine documented production, batch information, analysis results, and digital information.
For European beekeepers, better traceability can also become a competitive advantage.
When consumers can more easily distinguish documented origin from anonymous international blends, it increases the opportunity to highlight the value of local and European honey production.
However, the design of future systems is still subject to ongoing work within the EU.
It is therefore important to distinguish between regulations that have already been decided and the traceability solutions that are still under investigation.
Source: European Commission / EU Honey Platform and the new EU regulations on origin labeling for honey.