Honey labels, law and quality

The word "honey" on a label may be used only for a product that meets the definition in EU Directive 2001/110/EC. Nothing may be added to honey: no ingredients and no additives. Pollen is a natural constituent of Honey, not an ingredient.

The country of harvest is mandatory. From 14 June 2026, for a blend from several countries, all of them must appear in the principal field of vision in descending order of weight, each with its percentage (5 % tolerance). Member States may allow only the four largest shares if there are more than four countries and those four exceed 50 %; packs under 30 g may use two-letter ISO codes. The former wording "blend of EU honeys and non-EU honeys" is replaced.

The names "comb honey", "chunk honey" and "baker's honey" cannot be replaced by plain "honey". A plant name follows the rules of monofloral honey. A region may be named only if the honey comes entirely from it.

Quality is checked against criteria: moisture up to 20 %, at least 60 g of sugars per 100 g, sucrose up to 5 g, free acidity up to 50 meq/kg, diastase at least 8 on the Schade scale, HMF up to 40 mg/kg. For adulteration, the Commission must adopt analytical methods by 14 June 2028. In the coordinated action "From the Hives" (2021), 46 % of 320 imported-honey samples were suspected of not complying with the directive, against 14 % in 2015–2017; this concerns imports, not all EU honey.

Why this matters to you: the label is the only place to see the countries of origin. For a blend, look for percentages, not general words.