The labeling of honey in the European Union is changing at the initiative of Hungary

By: STA Date: 2024. 02. 01. 10:00

At the initiative of Hungary and in accordance with the interests of honey producers, in the future it will be mandatory to indicate the place of origin and the exact percentage of the honey in the EU on honey bottles, announced Minister of Agriculture István Nagy.

(Photo: Pixabay)

The head of the ministry reminded that back in November 2019, our country made a proposal to amend the honey directive, which concerned the tightening of origin marking. An agreement has now been reached between the European Commission and the European Parliament on the Hungarian initiative. In accordance with the goals of our country and the interests of the farmers, it will be clear to the customers which honey from which country and in what proportion is found in the given product. In the future, all countries of origin will have to be listed in descending order on the label of honey mixtures with the indication of the exact percentages. In addition, further measures will be available to the national authorities. According to this, for example, in the case of packages smaller than 30 grams, the name of the country of origin can be replaced with a two-letter ISO code, he added.

István Nagy explained that thanks to the tightening, consumers can find quality Hungarian honey more easily

By purchasing these, you support not only Hungarian beekeepers, but also the preservation of biological diversity. On the other hand, the mandatory origin marking containing an exact percentage can effectively help in the fight against honey of uncertain origin and dubious quality, coming from outside the EU. The Ministry of Agriculture is committed to the fight against honey counterfeiting and pays special attention to the support of the beekeeping sector, stressed István Nagy.