Codex standard for honey (CXS 12-1981)

The Codex standard for honey (CODEX STAN 12-1981, now written CXS 12-1981) is an international standard of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Part One covers honey produced by bees and meant for direct consumption, Part Two honey for industrial use and honey in bulk containers.

In the text revised in 2001, nothing may be added to honey, pollen may not be removed (except where unavoidable when taking out foreign matter), honey may not be heated so that its composition changes, and no chemical treatment may be used to influence crystallisation. Moisture is at most 20 % (heather honey 23 %); fructose plus glucose at least 60 g/100 g (honeydew 45); sucrose at most 5 g, and 10 g for false acacia, alfalfa, citrus and a few others, 15 g for lavender and borage. In the annex: free acidity up to 50 meq/kg, diastase at least 8 Schade (3 for low-enzyme honeys), HMF at most 40 mg/kg (80 for tropical honeys).

Why this matters to you: the same limits for water, sugars, diastase and HMF apply in the EU directive, so the two can be compared. Codex follows the same logic: honey is honey only if nothing has been added, it has not been overheated and its origin has not been hidden by removing pollen.