Honey Quality Labeling

As demand for varietal honey increases, and consumers become more interested in single flower honeys and unique multiflower honeys, and more sources of honey become available (often from around the world) there is a need to know more about the honey itself and the standards by which it was made.

This need is being fulfilled by many governments and non-government organizations trying to help bee-farmers sell to a wider market and compete world-wide. They are establishing standards and in many cases, enforcing them. One of the standards is authenticity in labeling. To what degree can we trust the labels and what do they tell us? That is the purpose of this guide.

Honey Standards Summary

1. Authenticity in Respect of Labeling and Descriptions
   • Process: Honey may be labeled according honey removal process. Extracted, by centrifugal force of decapped combs. Press or pressed by pressing combs. Drained by draining decapped combs. Filtered means most or all of the pollen has been removed. Strained means pollen and other materials intrinsic to the honey remain.
   • Style: Honey may be labeled according to the style. Honey, in a liquid or crystallized state or a mixture of the two. Comb when in the comb or cut comb or chunk when containing parts of the comb.
   • Botanical source: Predominant floral source (see single flower honey) or type; floral or honeydew, fir or forest honey. Honey labeled as from a single floral source cannot be blended with other honey (must meet minimum concentration requirements as well).
   • Geographic or topological source: The country region or specific location within a country with corresponding honey characteristics.
   • Species of bee: Most honey is produced by Apis Mellifera, but there are many other species with unique characteristics of honey.
   • Organic:
     • Hives must be placed near clean water, organic crops or natural, synthetic chemical-free vegetation and away from non-organic plants and polluted areas (industrial, urban areas etc).
     • No additives (sugar, corn syrup, sweeteners, non-compliant honey etc.).
     • No chemical residues (synthetic pesticides or other materials such as cleaning products or repellents, antibiotics or synthetic medicine, etc.), hives must be made of natural materials and if painted, using non-toxic paint.
     • To be labeled, ‘raw’, honey cannot be heated above 110 degrees F (such as during extraction). This destroys beneficial enzymes that are an intrinsic component of honey. Heating also degrades the flavor.
     • If starvation is imminent, bees must be fed organic supplements (honey, sugar, fruit concentrate etc).
2. Composition and quality factors: No other ingredients, no objectionable matter, flavor or odor not from the floral source, retain pollen and constituent matter, essential composition unchanged.
3. Authenticity in Respect to Production: If heated or filtered outside proscribed limits, to be labeled 'pasteurized' or 'filtered'. No sugar added or fed to bees during honey flow. Honey must be ripened in the comb. No water added.
4. Contaminates: Free of heavy metals in amounts that become a hazard to health. Not exceed maximum limits of pesticide and veterinary drugs.
5. Hygiene: Meet established food handling criteria

USDA grades: A, B, C

United States Department of Agriculture: Voluntary U.S. grade standards are issued under the authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, which provides for the development of official U.S. grades to designate different levels of quality. Honey does not require official inspection in order to carry official USDA grade marks and there are no existing programs that require the official inspection and certification of honey.

• Label and descriptions: Types-Strained, filtered, or comb. May show floral source but no standards. Does not differentiate between blossom or honey dew honey. Region not specified. Blending not specified. Must show country of origin.
• Composition and quality factors: Must show other ingredients, Grade covers offensive odors or materials. No heating standards.
• Production: Must show if strained or filtered. No indication of heating. Moisture content specified.
• Contaminates: Not covered.
• Food Hygiene: Not covered. Note: Grades are given for Moisture Content, Flavor & Aroma, Defects, and Clarity (see USDA Honey Grading). Clarity in grading is a hold over from when honey was compared to table syrup. Clarity is improved by finer filtering or straining, but removes constituent pollen and matter. Therefore better clarity does not result in better honey.

  Honey is intrinsically anti-microbial, so raw (unprocessed) honey is usually exempt from food safety regulations. Food safety is also handled at the state level.

The country of origin must be shown for any packed honey only if it bears any official USDA mark or statement. This includes domestically produced honey.

USDA Organic Honey

The USDA has no specific standards for organic production of honey. The current organic certification is designed for the growing of plants and animals for food and has little or nothing to do with honey production. Compare the current USDA Organic Production and Handling Standards with typical organic honey production standards.

• Hive Location: Not specified
• Additives: Not specified
• Chemical Residues: Not specified
• Raw Designation: Not specified
• Bee Feeding: Not specified

Note that in order to support and encourage small beekeepers, USDA procedures allow a honey producer to label their honey (or other products) as organic without the certification process if they sell less than $5,000/year, but follow the USDA organic guidelines, such as those selling at small farmers’ markets. They still must be truthful in their label claims and comply with the new government standards.

Certified Naturally Grown - CNG

Inspections are carried out by peer beekeepers. At least one should be someone in the local network. It’s up to each participating beekeeper to identify who will conduct the inspection (ideally an experienced beekeeper with a commitment to natural practices) and to agree on a date and time for the inspection to take place. At least two inspectors per season must visit the apiary. Certified Naturally Grown Apiary Standards

• Label and descriptions: Types-extracted (both screen filtered and unfiltered or raw), chunk, comb, or creamed. May show floral source if at least 51% is derived from the nectar of the labeled source, otherwise it must be labeled "Wildflower". Will not show if blossom or honey dew. Will not show region. May be blended. Must show country of origin.
• Composition and quality factors: If labeled "Pure" it may contain no additives. Minimal processing to retain enzymes and pollen particles. Avoid supplemental feeding of the bees. Any temporary flavor additives to extracted honey (such as herbs that are subsequently removed) must also be CNG certified or certified USDA Organic. Any permanent additives to creamed honey (such as freeze dried fruit or spices) must also be CNG certified or certified USDA Organic. No fermented honey nor honey with a moisture content greater than 18.6%.
• Production: No filtering under pressure, no addition of any sweetener or other altering agent (other than a CNG certified or certified USDA Organic flavoring agent such as an herb) to honey.There are no heating restrictions. Queens may be purchased, no africanized bees.
• Contaminates: No antibiotics or man made chemicals to used in the production of honey. There is a list of prohibited and allowed substances. No tests for residue.
• Food Hygiene: Not covered. Follow state standards for food production, keep things clean.

• Hive Location: The land on which the hives are located must meet all CNG guidelines for produce. Both crops and land must be free of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, as well as genetically engineered crops.
• Additives: Any temporary flavor additives or permanent additives must be CNG certified or certified USDA Organic.
• Chemical Residues: There is a list of prohibited and allowed substances.Basically no man-made chemicals.
• Raw Designation: Raw is not defined, but is a labeled type.
• Bee Feeding: Clearly defined. No sugars for two weeks prior to honey production. Ideally pollen and honey. No prohibited substances allowed.

Honey imported into an EU county is subject to residue testing for antibiotics, sulphonamides, pesticides and heavy metals, using essentially the same residue criteria as EU produced honey. Countries with approved residue testing plans, allowed to import to the EU - See Annex 1 (but still annually tested). It should be noted that a country not listed here may meet the requirements simply because their honey is wild but cannot meet the paperwork and bureaucratic requirements of getting approved (many countries in Africa for instance). Also an odd quirk is the fact that, unlike the Codex Alimentarius which allows for honey produced by honey bees in general, the EU directive specifically defines honey as being produced by only one species of honey bee, Apis mellifera. This restricts countries with honey bees other than Apis mellifera, such as Asian hive bee, Apis cerana; the giant honeybee, Apis dorsata; the Himalayan cliff bee, Apis laboriosa; and the dwarf honeybee, Apis florea, from importing to the EU.

1. Authenticity in Respect of Labeling and Descriptions
   • Process: Produced as drained, extracted, pressed (not above 45 degrees C.) or filtered (removes pollen). Baker's honey (very low quality industrial use for ingredients in other foodstuffs.)
   • Style: Labled as blossom or nectar or honeydew honey. Liquid or crystallized, comb, chunk or cut comb,.
   • Botanical source: If not filtered or baker's honey, may indicate floral or vegetable origin, if the product comes wholly or mainly from the indicated source and possesses the organoleptic, physicochemical and microscopic characteristics of the source.
   • Geographic or topological source: If not filtered or baker's honey, may indicate regional, territorial or topographical origin, if the product comes entirely from the indicated source. Must indicate country or origin. If multiple countries, it must indicate a blend of EC and/or non EC honeys.
   • Species of bee: Only Apis Mellifera
2. Composition and quality factors: No other ingredients, no objectionable matter, no flavor or odor not from the floral source, retain pollen and constituent matter. The essential composition must be unchanged. Moisture
3. Authenticity in Respect to Production: If heated or filtered outside proscribed limits, to be labeled "Bakers Honey" or "Filtered."
4. Contaminates: See Hygiene/Food Safety
5. Hygiene/Food Safety: Specific residue limits are defined and tested (for imports) and many chemicals and substances banned (domestically produced). Q & A on residues and contaminants in Foodstuffs - EU

• Hives must be placed near clean water, organic crops or natural, synthetic chemical-free vegetation and away from non-organic plants and polluted areas (industrial, urban areas etc).
• No additives (sugar, corn syrup, sweeteners, non-compliant honey etc.).
• residue
• To be labeled, ‘raw’, honey cannot be heated above 110 degrees F (such as during extraction). This destroys beneficial enzymes that are an intrinsic component of honey. Heating also degrades the flavor.
• If starvation is imminent, bees must be fed organic supplements (honey, sugar, fruit concentrate etc).

Australia:

New Zealand:

Many of the standards have specific measurable criteria.

• Composition: moisture content, fructose, sucrose and glucose percentages
• Type (blossom or honeydew): conductivity
• Floral source: pollen analysis
• High temperature degradation: HMF levels