Raw honey

Raw honey is a marketing term for honey that was neither heated much nor filtered finely. Neither EU Directive 2001/110/EC on honey nor the Codex Alimentarius standard CXS 12-1981 defines the word "raw", so it has no legal meaning.

The law does set rules for all honey. Under the directive nothing may be added to honey, and it must not be heated so that its natural enzymes are destroyed or significantly inactivated. Honey may be comb, drained, extracted or pressed honey; for pressed honey only moderate heat not above 45 °C is allowed.

FAO explains where the fashion for raw honey comes from: in the USA, Canada and Latin America honey is usually filtered finely under heat so that it stays liquid and clear for longer, whereas in Europe complete filtration that removes pollen is forbidden. Since 14 June 2026, under Directive (EU) 2024/1438, honey with a significant part of its pollen removed counts in the EU as baker's honey and is sold as "intended for cooking only". Filtered honey as a separate category was dropped.

Setting is natural honey crystallisation, not a sign of rawness or of fraud.

Why this matters to you. The word "raw" on a label guarantees nothing; it is more useful to check the country of harvest, the form of honey (comb, extracted, pressed) and honest storing of honey in a cool place, without heating.